The Worst Kind of Weapon
by SEEKER-2000
Summary: What happens when everyone's favorite hacker becomes a key player in the latest mob war? Can he handle the pressure when he his loyalty is torn in all directions? FINALLY COMPLETE! Focused on the characters of Spinelli, Kate, Trevor, Jason, & Sonny
1. Prologue: A Cause For Concern

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**, a General Hospital fan fic.

_A/N_: This story is based off of some of the recent rumors and spoilers that have been floating around the internet as of late regarding Spinelli's parentage. This is my way of taking all of those ideas and combining them into a storyline that I would like to see. I think a lot of the general ideas (like who Spin's dad is, how characters will react, how this news will be used, etc) are fairly accurate to what they would be on the show. However, expect a generally darker, more mature Spinelli. I think the upcoming story on GH regarding Spinelli is going to change the character into less of a go-to-joke into a vital figure in the story, and his attitude will probably not be as light as it has been because of it. I feel as though this one little fact regarding Spinelli will be a major factor in the upcoming storyline, a brick in a wall of great drama. **Let's hear it for fall sweeps!**

Prologue: A Cause for Concern

Sonny Corinthos was not easily worried or put on edge. Whenever a threat rose to greet him and his more illicit activities in the form of a takeover, he was prepared to do what was necessary to keep the power in balance in Port Charles. It came with the territory. It was…a job requirement. Many men, and women for that matter considering Faith Roscoe, had tried to step over Sonny's borders in the hopes of gaining the control and influence of the small port city, but all of these business rivals either doubted Sonny's intelligence and tenacity or had too much faith in their own skills or lack thereof.

When his mole brought him the whispers that Anthony Zacchara, a rival crime boss from up north, was sneaking his way into Port Charles, Sonny was not scared silly. Instead, Sonny considered sending out his troops to take of the task of defending the territory. If Zacchara was in town, he was hiding himself very well. This was something he needed to speak with Jason about. It was just another problem that needed solving. The rival was sleeping in the city, biding his time, but Sonny was ready to wake him from his nap.

It wasn't until the name of Trevor Lansing fell from the lips of one of the informants did Sonny feel a twinge of fear in the pit of his stomach. It was an old fear, one that rotted his childhood.

_A/N_ Spinelli is the main focus of the story; he will be in the next chapter. Additionally, future chapters will be significantly longer.


	2. Damien and the Omen

**_The Worst Kind of Weapon_**

**Chapter 1: Damien and the Omen**

Kelly's was slow that day. Mike worked behind the counter, as usual, while Georgie sat engrossed in a book. There weren't any customers in the store for her to wait on, unless you counted Spinelli, but he was immersed in his laptop. He rarely blinked, barely breathed. Something was up.

Spinelli was hard at work for Stone Cold trying to find something that would link Ric Lansing to the Goons of Fear that had threatened Elizabeth and her sons at the park. Phone records, bank records that would show recent exchanges of random sums of money, or some sort of security footage would be key in solving the mystery. Stone Cold's penthouse was too restrictive for him at the moment. That was what brought him to Kelly's to complete his task. He welcomed the distraction. The fair Lulu had once again given him the line about how the two of them could only be friends and how the crabby commando was "different" once you got to know him. Spinelli was afraid of what the Blonde One had meant by "got to know him". He would deny what logic and his heart suspected about her recent rendezvous with the simian until the Blonde One said it plainly to his face, and he was dead set on making sure he never let the conversation get that far.

Suddenly, the Jackal's computer chirped at him, pulling him from his anger fueled typing spree. He had been so absorbed in his decoding that he had stopped paying attention to his laptop's battery life. This was bad. He felt so close to making a breakthrough, and now his computer was a minute away from certain death. Spinelli looked around him and spotted an electric socket in close proximity to him. If he had just plugged the laptop in as soon as he had gotten there he wouldn't be risking losing all of his hard work. However, Lulu on the brain as usual, it has simply slipped his mind. He reached for his backpack to get the power cord, only to realize that I was ten feet away at the counter. Spinelli rushed over to seize the bag, wrestled with the clasp to get it open, then spun on his heal grabbing at the bottom of the bag to get the cord. His eyes, straining to see into the blackness of the backpack, weren't focused on where he was going. When he smacked straight into a huge blob of a man, he was knocked down, landing on his arm, from the palm to the elbow, which he had used to break his fall.

He looked up at the Blob Man, expecting to hear an apology or see an arm extending down to help him up. Instead, the gargantuan man glared down at the Jackal as if he had done something wrong. A moment passed and the man reached out a tree trunk like arm that grabbed the front of Spinelli's shirt and hoisted him up roughly. Spinelli clutched the bag that had caused all the trouble, and in the foreground he saw his computer screen go black. The pain he felt in his arm was nothing compared to the frustration he felt at seeing all that work deleted. The disappointment that Jason would have with him at hearing that he had made such a careless mistake that jeopardized the safety of the innocent one, and that he would have to wait even longer to get the answers he was so desperate for, made Spinelli sick.

He looked back at the sumo wannabe that had knocked him to the ground.

"Look, man, You're kind of in my way. Can I just get around—." Spinelli was interrupted by the man holding his hand up to hush him menacingly. Mike and Georgie tensed up as they watched the scene unfold. Georgie's hand wandered into her pocket for her cell phone in case something got out of hand, and Mike began inching around the corner of the counter. He'd seen Spinelli in action before, and it was obvious that the kid had more spunk than was good for him. If this man got him irritated, Spinelli was likely to annoy the man right back, spouting overconfident words that would get him landed on the ground again.

"Shut up kid. I'll do the talking. I hear you work with Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. Well my boss has a message for them." The blob's rounded face formed a grin that did not bring to light the happiness of sunshine and rainbows. "You tell him Zacchara says hello. He knows Corinthos has been watching him. Now, this first message has been nice and quiet. From me to you. Tell him they'll be messier next time. Tell your boss to back down if he wants to keep his nicely pressed suit clean." With that, the man brushed off Spinelli's shoulders in an act of faux consideration, then grabbed his already sore wrist that he had been cradling roughly and squeezed it. Pain seared as quickly as it relapsed as the man released it, grinned, then left the diner.

Georgie leapt from her stool to come to Spinelli's side.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Mike then spoke. "Son, you need to go deliver that message. I think there is going to be some big problems very soon." The aforementioned Zacchara must have been either very powerful or very stupid, willing to send messages in public places with witnesses. Using someone so low on the criminal totem pole, like Spinelli, was also a curious move. Obviously someone recognized that Spinelli was not just another fragment of Sonny's organization. Someone had seen that he had a personal doorway into Sonny's life and work. That made Mike very uneasy, and his tone made his suggested plan of action more like a plea.

Spinelli didn't know what had just happened. He packed up his things and went in the direction to the only person he was sure would have the answers. Just as he bounded out of the door heading to the coffee shop, Spinelli noticed the Blob heading down the opposite sidewalk. However, now he was accompanied by a grey haired man who was clapping the Blob on the back. Memorizing as much as he could about the duo, the Jackal set off to play herald of a rather twisted omen.

--

Meanwhile, Sonny was in no need for Spinelli's warning. His sources had already gotten photographs of Zacchara heading into a warehouse on the outskirts of Port Charles. The man was in town, officially giving Sonny the authority in the unwritten laws of organized crime to remove him from the town by any means necessary. He would be dealt with soon enough. Better Zacchara be allowed to show his cards first before choosing what path to take next.

A knock at the door distracted Sonny from his thoughts. He beckoned whomever it was to enter, and in stepped his lawyer Diane. She straightened her suit before sitting down in a chair across from him.

"Sonny, we've just had a breakthrough with Kate Howard's case. Ric has decided to go with the original plan for her community service for the hit and run." Diane grinned with success.

Sonny however was taken aback. That was not right. Just days before, Ric was ready to throw the book at Kate. Something had happened. Sonny wondered whether or not Kate had struck some sort of deal with his brother that would come back to haunt her.

"And what exactly brought around my brother's change of heart?" Sonny asked sarcastically.

"Well, I'll have Kate explain it you. Kate called me just twenty minutes ago telling me that she was going to be fine…she said something about a friend pulling some strings." Kate continued even though Sonny's raised eyebrows brought about some uneasiness in her. "Well…I…I had actually assumed you had made a deal with Ric or something, which is the reason I'm here actually. I thought I might have been needed to talk you out of doing something either stupid in exchange for Kate." When Sonny shook his head is disagreement, Diane finished. "But It seems I was wrong." Diane's explanation raised more questions than answers. Sonny rested his hand on his chin in thought and looked at the ceiling. A mental image of the Thinking Man crossed Diane's mind and she almost laughed out loud. Sonny and classical art weren't exactly on the same level as one another.

Finally Sonny replied. "Thank you Diane…If you could go now….I would never just rush you out of here so rudely if I didn't really need some thinking time." His tone reflected his serious expression and Diane knew it was her cue for a clean exit. Picking up her things, she opened the door, but before exiting the office completely she recognized Kate Howard's voice carrying from the coffee show down the hallway. Popping her head back in, quickly told Sonny that Kate has just arrived.

"I guess this is your chance to get your answers in person."

Sonny stood up and passed Diane, who was still holding the doorknob to the office, and he rushed into the coffee shop's main room.

--

A/N: PLEASE READ! Just in case you people may wonder…the title is from a Fall Out Boy song entitled "My Heart Is the Worst Kind of Weapon". I think that is a rather appropriate title for the sensitive person that we all know Spinelli is. Oh, and the chapter title "Damien and the Omen" is just me trying to be funny. Damien is the devil incarnate in the movie "The Omen". Hah! Get it? Damien Spinelli! Oh I just crack myself up. OH, and there aren't any ships in this story so far….don't think that Georgie's concern was some clue to a future hookup. She's just kind of part of the scenery when I think if Kelly's. On that note, wouldn't Maxie and Spinelli just be the most hilarious couple ever? I watched the two of them together today and it just got me wondering. lol. Still, no ships in this story until I can decide if they matter.

**All future chapters are in regards to what has happened from August 22, 2007**. While spoilers and rumors are excellent tools, they cannot predict the future completely, so from here on I apologize if my story starts to veer off in a different direction than the actual show. It just so happens that the inspiration that I am having for the story is moving faster than General Hospital can get episodes out. **The story _will _still be based on spoilers and rumors though, so read at your own risk if you do not want to know about future GH storylines.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Two ships pass in the night.**


	3. Ships Passing in the Night

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

Chapter 2: Ships Passing in the Night

Sonny halted in the doorway of the back entrance to the coffee shop's lobby. There Kate stood, fashionable as ever in a black suit accessorized by a red handbag and shoes, as if yesterday she hadn't been worried about being sent to county lockup for six months. Kate was at the counter ordering herself a drink and had not yet spotted Sonny. He leaned against the doorway and cleared his throat, which made her spin around in her two inch red heels. She had the expression of a kid getting caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. A few days before she had practically built a fort around her and Sonny, declaring that she just could not possibly be connected to him in any way shape or form. He was ruining her reputation, or at least she believed so.

Sonny raised an eyebrow in mystification before speaking. "I thought you were going to stay away from me. Something about….spoiling your reputation?"

Kate shuffled her heels and paid for her coffee, obviously taking her time in responding. Sonny waited patiently. She then walked gradually over to him and exhaled slowly still biding her time. When she finally spoke it was in the form of a quiet whisper.

"Sonny…I'm just…here…To get some coffee. I didn't think you would be in at this time. At least…I hoped not." She paused, looked into his eyes, and saw that he was not going to give her any signal of understanding in his gaze. "I would like to thank you, however, for the help with my legal troubles." Kate referenced her possible jail time with as much ambiguity as she could, and then continued. "I had a friend call in some favors and it's all been taken care of."

Kate took a drink from her coffee indifferently, feigning a casualness regarding the whole situation. Sonny couldn't believe the nerve this woman had. She was so willing to live in lies. It made him feel slightly sad. Before he could reply, Spinelli bounded into the coffee shop already talking before he was fully in the door.

"Mr. Corinthos sir I have to tell you and Jason something very important…where is Jason?" Spinelli belted out all of this, huffing and puffing in between words, and it was obvious that he run the entire way there. Sonny rolled his eyes and actually made an annoyed growl. This kid always had a knack for butting in on things.

"Jason is out right now….Go wait in my office." Sonny did not want to put up with this kind of frustration, but he had to admit that they kid had been useful at times. The panic that was written on his face was genuine enough. He looked at Kate, who seemed to be inching away from Sonny slyly. He grabbed her wrist and she knew she was caught.

"Wait just ten minutes please. I want to hear the rest of this story." Sonny asked of her.

Kate rolled her eyes but nodded that she would indeed wait. Sonny followed Spinelli into his office. A moment passed while Kate glanced around the room looking for a place to sit. Just as she headed into the direction of a small table big enough for two, Trevor Lansing walked in the door. He smiled at her and made his way over to her, kissing her on the cheek lightly before sitting down.

Trevor Lansing was old enough to be her father, but he was still rather handsome. A small amount of graying to his hair and the new wrinkles around his face were the only difference in the man she had loved long ago. Even years later, and not a single regret in leaving him, she couldn't help but feel her stomach do a flip flop inside of her. He had been probably the most influential man in her life…It was hard to forget that.

"Your assistant told me I could find you hear. She's really chatty, that one. You should consider firing her." Trevor smiled his million dollar grin at her and she genuinely laughed. This was bad…She really couldn't risk falling into his world again. However, the man had just literally saved her public humiliation by talking Ric into letting her off with community service. The fine points of good manners had to be upheld.

"I don't know…she's the one who has tolerated my demands the longest. I think I'll keep her a while longer, at least until brunettes go out of fashion." Kate replied.

Trevor reached out his hand and placed it on top of hers, patting it. "You should run for president in '08 Kate. Think of the world if everyone just understood that overalls and socks with sandals just were not flattering on any person, be them democrat, republican, or libertarian. World peace, I declare." Kate pushed a hair behind her ear to distract herself from replying for a moment. All of this flattery…She'd been through it before, it was what bended her to him in the first place. But, those were the days when she was young and dumb, and years of people kissing her ass had made her more immune to idle flattery.

"Trevor…thank you again for helping me…You came at just the right moment really." Kate tried to change the subject. Over Trevor's shoulder, Kate saw Jason heading in the doorway. He looked at Kate, and without any sort of hello, demanded to know if Sonny was in his office or not. Kate nodded, and then turned back to Trevor, who looked shocked.

"Do you know that man?" he asked.

"Yes."

Trevor opened his mouth and closed it again. Whatever he had been planning to say, he stopped himself.

--

Sonny considered what Spinelli had just told him. The warning from Zacchara lacked in originality except for the way it was delivered. It was one thing for a crime boss to send a message to him; it was another to do it in the manner Zacchara had chosen. Sonny looked back at the kid sitting across from him. Spinelli was obviously recognized as a man with closer than normal contact to he and Jason. The informants would need to keep a closer eye on him. However, Sonny wasn't yet ready to act publicly concerned about Zacchara's arrival into town.

"Listen, Spinelli, I thank you for the warning. Let me just think this over. You can go now."

But Spinelli didn't budge. Sonny hated it when the kid lingered. He would probably spout some mumbo jumbo that would rattle his brain into annoyance.

"Mr. Corinthos, sir, I want you to realize how serious this guy sounded…This Zacchara man really sounded like he meant business. Oh…and there was a gray haired man that I saw him speaking with, probably another Goon of Fear….I guess I forgot to mention that part." Spinelli continued ranting like this until Jason saved Sonny from the conversation going any further.

"Spinelli, have you finished getting the information on who attacked Elizabeth?" Jason asked, closing the door behind him. Spinelli's face went pale when he remembered what he had been assigned to do…and how he had failed to complete his mission. "We need to go now." Jason added.

"Uhh…The Jackal is on the verge of a major breakthrough and will have the information very soon." Spinelli assured Jason, but his inflection was more of a question than a statement of faith in his own skills.

"Just get your laptop and you can finish it in the car…We need to get on the road. Sonny, I'll keep you posted." Jason grabbed Spinelli's bag and handed it to him. "You've got a car charger for that thing, right? I don't want it to die on the way." Jason opened the door and waited for Spinelli to follow him out.

Spinelli made a weird sort of squeak/laugh and trailed after Jason back out into the lobby. Jason was walking so fast that Spinelli had to try to keep up, and ended up not giving a second glance to the gray haired man sitting with Kate Howard. If he had, he probably would have recognized trouble before it happened.

--

**A/N: I have finalized my plans regarding where to take this story.** I have gathered all the conspiracy theories, spoilers, and rumors I can and have been debating just what direction to go in. The debate is over. Some of the rumors I have collected are just a little too farfetched to actually be true, but damn it, they would be the sweetest plot! In other words, some of this story is exactly what is going to happen on GH, while some of it is what might maybe sorta kinda happen on GH. In conclusion, from here on out this is my story that will be going on the way I want it to, thank you very much. Let's get this party started because I am really excited for it to begin.

OH! Before I forget…I know I said this was going to be Spinelli centered…However, just like in any Soap storyline many characters will have scenes that pertain directly to one another, in this case Spin. So, this is Spin's story but it will have many different points of views that add to it. There are just so many factors to consider, and I like the diversity anyways. Anyways…ONWARD!

**Next Chapter: Two characters confront they're very dark pasts, and one secret is revealed.**


	4. What Money Can Buy

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

Chapter 3: What Money Can Buy

_"How cruel is the golden rule when the lives we live are only golden plated?"—Fall Out Boy_

Sonny had not expected his past to just walk into his life. However, there he was…sitting across from Kate. His hand on her hand, a grin on his face. He was _not_ Sonny's biggest fear, his darkest secret…but he _was_ a cold memory sitting in his coffee shop.

Sonny did not know if he resented anyone as much as Trevor Lansing. He was the original reason there was so much animosity between he and Ric, his blood brother whether he liked it or not. That cold hearted man had the audacity to tell his mother to dump her first born. Trevor actually thought Sonny a dangerous, damaged child that would harm the new baby Richard. He gave Sonny and Ric's mother Adela an ultimatum. Dump Sonny off at the nearest adoption agency like so much garbage, or give up the security she would be blessed to have as the wife of a powerful man. When she refused and abandoned the newborn and his father, Sonny and Ric's fate was sealed for life as enemies that never, as hard as they tried in the past, forgive each other or dare love each other as family. _Because, while Sonny resented Trevor, Ric resented Sonny._

The bitterness was poison that had caused too much pain. Still, the bastard who set it all in motion could sit and drink coffee and smile and laugh and put his hands all over Kate Howard. That was what made Sonny stumble as he walked over to the devil from his past. As Trevor saw Sonny advance across the room, he stood up and got ready to defend himself. Kate stood and put herself between the two men, obviously confused about where the sudden outburst had come from. The look of confusion made Sonny pause and take a step back from doing something.

"What are you doing in my town, Trevor?" Sonny demanded.

Trevor laughed in a way that just about set Sonny off again. "Wow, Sonny…you have grown. But I'd recognize that cold glare anywhere. I've heard all about how you've made a real name for yourself though. Good job, your mother would be so proud." Trevor spat.

"Don't you ever bring up my mother again, you slime." At the mere mention of his mother, Sonny's eyes seemed to flare red. "I would, however, like to know why my people have been mentioning you're name in relation to Anthony Zacchara." Trevor blanched at the sound of the name. "If you've heard anything about me, you would know it was a mistake to come to Port Charles."

Kate looked from one man to the other wildly. "What is he talking about Trevor?"

Trevor considered her for a moment, and then straightened his tie, smiling wide. "Oh, Sonny and I just…have a history." He glared at Sonny one last time before patting Kate on the back, probably in order to flame Sonny up again. "And Sonny," he continued before heading for the door, "Zacchara will probably be in contact with you soon."

With that, Trevor Lansing exited the premises. Kate looked at Sonny incredulously. Sonny beckoned her with a nod of his head to follow him to his office, and when his back was turned completely he said, "I think we both have some explaining to do to one another."

--

Kate could not believe the story that Sonny told her about Trevor. Actually, she just didn't _want _to believe it. She had convinced herself over the years that while Trevor was a selfish and whispered to be dangerous man, he couldn't be _cruel_. But, even that she knew to be a lie…If she was truthful with herself, she could recount the exact moments that Trevor had been inhuman towards her. She was an object to him, groomed to his liking, and in the times before she gained any strength of her own he knew exactly how to crush her. All of this still made it hard to wrap her head around the idea that a man as fearless as Trevor could have asked a woman to give up the child he thought to be dangerous. She suspected that it was more likely that he was jealous of the bond the two shared, a history that he couldn't ever contend with.

Before she could consider Sonny's story any further, Sonny wanted to know her connection to Trevor. Leaning against his desk, he stared at her, waiting. She would have to give him something…perhaps half of the truth would suffice.

"Kate…I have reason to believe that Trevor has gotten himself mixed up with a man who has invaded my territory." Sonny said quietly. He had never spoken so plainly about his business to her, never used the words "territory" that clued her in on the darker side of his life. "If you have some sort of relationship with him, I need to know. Trevor Lansing could possibly try to use you to get to me. So, I'm going to ask you again. How do you know Trevor Lansing?"

Kate swallowed hard as the realization hit her. Trevor had mentioned the name Zacchara in such a way back in the coffee shop that she knew Sonny was right. Trevor must not have been in town "just to help her out". His arrival, just in time, seemed more than just a coincidence now that she thought about it. It wouldn't have been the first time he acted the gentleman to her face, only to have shady things happen to him.

When she had lived with him, there came a time when he started to recieve odd phone calls in the middle of the night. Or, if not odd calls, there would be the times when she would come back to Trevor's penthouse just in time to see some rather sketchy looking men as they exited, and Trevor would seem rattled or stressed for days afterwards. He had a public face that was pristine, but she was sure that his fortune came from _some_ illegal work. It was one of the factors that made her leave him in the first place…She began to fear him. His temper, his mood swings, his way of treating her like a possession…and those hints at a precarious lifestyle became all too real.

Kate wasn't ready to tell Sonny all of that though…**First, she wanted to give Trevor time to give her his side of the story. She always felt compelled to give him a chance to deny her fears. It was her major fault.** Her stomach felt sick suddenly as she realized that he hadn't been back in her life more than a few days and she was already falling back into her old ways.

Looking Sonny dead in the eye so as not to give him any reason to doubt her commitment to what she was saying, Kate answered him.

"We…dated a long, long time ago. We've stayed friends though…" was her only admission.

If only that was all there was too it. However, Kate knew better.

--

Spinelli was quiet for a change on his car ride back from confronting the men who had threatened Elizabeth. Jason drove, his grip on the steering wheel leaving his knuckles white. Spinelli couldn't even begin to understand what Jason was thinking. To imagine that the Goddess Sam could have been the one responsible for trying to scare the mother of the Innocent One…it was just too much to grasp. She must have been truly hurting to do something like that, but he wasn't even going to try to convince Jason. Stone Cold was in no mood to hear about other people's feelings when all he could think about was Sam's final act of betrayal.

Spinelli sighed heavily. Stone Cold shouldn't have lied about Baby Jake. That was all there was to it. While he respected his partner to the extreme, Spinelli failed to grasp his concept of keeping the child safe. Jason just went along with fair Elizabeth's will, ignoring the fact that his son would eventually one day find out the truth, and the day he did there would be so much anger and hatred, not to mention resentment. Parents spent a lot of their time trying to raise their children by textbook example, but that wasn't right. Sure, Jake would be under constant threat as Jason's son, but so were Michael and Morgan Corinthos, and they still got to see their father.

He could understand the fear, but children were always going to be threatened. There were the hazard of perverts, the peril of disease, and the chance of accidents of every kind. No matter how hard he tried explaining it to Stone Cold, Spinelli couldn't convince him that the quality of someone's life is the ultimate measure, not the quantity. Sam's child died at birth, but was loved before she was brought into the light of the world. Murderers sat on death row, given the option of counting down the days to their passing. Life was unbalanced, it wasn't right, but that is how it worked. Better Jason's son know him and be better off because of it.

Spinelli looked out the window of the suburban and stared up into the darkest night. He remembered the feeling he felt the day he discovered things were a lie, that he had trusted so blindly. Spinelli couldn't help but despair at the thought of the Innocent One one day sharing that great agony of truth. It was a very sad thing to consider, so the Jackal distracted himslef by opening his laptop and tried to search for proof that Sam had actually done what the henchmen had said, hoping beyond reason that they had been lying.

He almost laughed at how pitiful he was...

**But, once again, Spinelli couldn't help but want to give everyone the option to tell their side of the story. He allowed them the chance to deny his fears. It was his major fault.**

--

Meanwhile, Trevor Lansing was meeting with a man he paid to research Kate's past. He wanted to know everything he could, every dirty little secret that Connie wanted hidden, that Kate needed forgotten. If there was one thing that could describe Kate, it was constantly worried. She feared her reputation would be threatened at the drop of a hat, and that kind of weakness was his favorite to deal with.

If she truly had connections to Jason Morgan or Sonny Corinthos, his job would become a lot easier. A little threat to air her dirty laundry to the public on his part would make Kate Howard bend like a reed in the wind. She would have sold out her very blood kin to keep her past a secret.

The researcher met him at the Port Charles docks. Trevor paid the man his money, then demanded to know what he had found out.

The little man who was kind of twitchy, smiled big when Trevor asked. "Well," he began, "Our dear Miss Connie Falconeri…has a son."

Trevor almost died laughing. Golden.

--

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN!** I know, I know. You all have questions….and you will get your answers. **Oh, and by the way**...it's kind of sad to see how many hits this story has gotten and yet how few of those people actually review. Lets just say less than _3 of the people who "hit" chapter 3 reviewed_. I **really **do like to get reader feedback.

**Next Chapter: The Extinction of Connie Falconeri...the longest, saddest chapter yet. Get the popcorn ready.**


	5. The Extinction of Connie Falconeri

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 4: The Extinction of Connie Falconeri**

**A/N:** My favorite chapter so far…and the longest! It is the most pivotal chapter in the whole thing. Read carefully.

**"Yes, I put my career first instead of having a family. I had to… to get where I am today. And, I rarely regret it. Until… I have an afternoon like today. Your children may be ill-behaved and out of control but they clearly love you. And your love for them is clearly palpable. And… After watching you with your sons, it makes me remember that I may have given up something truly wonderful."**

_–Kate Howard, GH June 19th, 2007_.

Connie Falconeri was too young when she met Trevor Lansing. Barely eighteen, she had run away from the only life she had ever known in the direction so many had tried to before, a path that would lead to power and a social acceptance. Like most of her fellow dreamers that had treaded the same passage, she was willing and ready to do _anything_ to get there. Connie was convinced that if she started out small and made the right connections, and if she was willing to make sacrifices, she would one day reach that destination. However, knowing what she had already given up left Connie feeling as though her hopes would always be tainted by the choice she made to leave Sonny. She could accept that stain of regret though; accept the thought of being _almost_ perfectly happy. It would leave her something to aspire to.

So, when Connie found herself living the less than glamorous life as a student/waitress, she found it easy to remember that it was only temporary. There are times in your life when you can feel that things are not going to be static for long, as if you have a "destiny", or at least a destination. Certain things you go through, the darkness, the distress, leave you with the feeling that something will and can change. That was what kept Connie Falconeri going. Change had been her obsession from the start of this journey.

One day, after a grueling class schedule followed immediately by a four hour shift at The Victorian, the high end restaurant where Connie worked, Connie found herself waiting on a man who flirted with her, made a comment on how lovely her eyes were, and ended up tipping her a hundred dollars. Connie at first thought he must have been a real showoff put the man out of her mind. Yet the very next week, there the man was again, talking to her and complimenting the way she walked, the way she pronounced the French entrees impeccably well, all the while smiling at her and taking every opportunity he could to steal her back to him. Whether it was asking for a spare napkin, asking she give his compliments to the chef, or just asking her opinion on certain menu items, he was hell bent on making her concentrate on him.

He would start coming to the restaurant more and more frequently. The other waitresses would laugh and say that Connie had an admirer, force her to go tend to him, and always asked to hear what he had to say. They all seemed to think him handsome, obviously wealthy; some of them even saying that he was an absolute gentleman. Although he was significantly older, the girls would tell Connie to not miss up a chance if the man asked her out. So what if he was twice her age?

She never got the chance to really think about how she would feel about dating the man who kept making advances towards her. After one of these dinners, she came back to his table with his bill, and he blatantly asked her out to lunch. Her mouth formed words that said it would be lovely to see him outside of work, but her mind couldn't believe what she was agreeing to. Sonny had been the only man she'd ever loved…and this didn't quite feel like a love connection. This felt like…an interview. On a subconscious level, the Connie that had been willing to make sacrifices and do anything to gain exactly what she wanted seemed to recognize this man as being another doorway into such a life.

Trevor Lansing turned out to be much, much more than a door. In the beginning, she was using him. She knew it. There relationship progressed quickly, from dates to sleepovers in a matter of weeks. He bought her things and allowed her to move into a penthouse overlooking the city. She went to cocktail parties and galas, rubbing elbows with rich men and famous women. On Trevor's arm, she wasn't just another college kid. In the right dress and with the right makeup and jewelry, she blended into High Society. It was a drug, and she was addicted. Now_ this_ was more like it.

Trevor got to have a hot young thing on his arm and in his bed, and for a while their relationship was one of mutual benefit. Her marks in school were higher, probably because she now had Sunday brunch with the dean. Her job was useless, so she no longer had to bust her ass in a job that brought her down. Oh, people whispered about the pair. She was so young, still in college…He was so old, but so powerful, an attorney of the rich. It wasn't exactly uncommon. Powerful men, their beautiful women. _It was legal, anyways_.

Then things began to turn dark. It couldn't all be beautiful dresses and fancy shoes. Trevor had a mean streak. He slapped her once for saying that he was acting like an ass at a cancer benefit dinner. He would tell her when he thought she looked frumpy, when she wasn't satisfying his needs, when she wasn't _perfect_. He seemed to be grooming her…raising her the way he wanted his woman to be. She even wondered if he considered her his mistress... or his whore.

Once, Connie found a phone number in his pant pocket, and when she dialed it brought her to the voicemail of another woman. She put it out of her mind, didn't allow her mind to convince her heart what she was thinking. Because….this _wasn't_ just a relationship anymore. Connie felt herself truly falling in love with him. When he was normal, he was charming. He had moments where he completely worshipped her. Struck by the flu, he stayed at home for a week to nurse her. He actually sat down one day and told her in a letter what she meant to him. It was all so _confusing_.

**It was about to become complicated.**

Almost a year into their…arrangement, Connie was in the middle of her English Composition class one morning and began to feel dizzy. She ran out of the classroom, amidst the stares of her professor and fellow classmates, and barely made it to the bathroom, where she vomited. Walking out to her car, her mind was ablaze. Instead of driving herself back to Trevor's apartment, she curled up in a ball in the backseat, for she felt in no shape to drive. Was it the flu again? Did she eat something bad? Her body told her to just close her eyes, and she did. Just before succumbing to sleep, another thought hit her.

Was she pregnant?

That night, she held the damned plastic stick in her hand and did not take her eyes off of it. She wanted to _see_ it change colors. Her feet were cold, the tile of the floor freezing. That was what she remembered distracted her, he cold feet. Then there was the moment when the color changed, and the tiny plastic thing felt like the heaviest stone in the world. Her arms felt as though they would drag her to the ground, and they did, and there she lay and cried for at least an hour.

She wasn't going to tell Trevor, at least until she absolutely had to. Apart of her knew she had options, he wouldn't ever have to know, _it _could have been ended. She actually had moments where she hated_ it_. _It'_s existence meant risking every goal she had, not to mention her security with Trevor. For three months, she carried on with her secret. Trevor rarely mentioned his son, Richard, and seemed to have the general attitude that he didn't really enjoy having a son at all. She didn't know how to confess that she was carrying another disappointment.

Trevor didn't seem to notice her sudden depression. Instead, he had problems of his own. That was when the phone calls started to come at odd hours, the men showing up at odd times. Trevor bought a gun, explaining to Connie that it was a spur of the moment decision, thought he would add a little protection to the house. She knew that something was going on, that he wasn't just defending criminals anymore. In the moments she wasn't hating the baby, she worried for _it_. She worried for herself too. If Trevor was getting himself mixed up in those kind of illicit activities….Well…she'd had heard the horror stories of organized crime, and she was not in the mood to be used as a pawn.

When Connie started to show, she wore billowy dresses to cover her new curves. It wouldn't work for long though, and Trevor, after working on a rather difficult case that he lost, spat at her that she was starting to get _fat_. He later apologized and said she was beautiful, it was just the stress at work that was getting to him. Connie Falconeri tried hundreds of times to form the words to tell him the truth. There were many opportunities, never any bravery.

Then, life threw Connie a bone. Trevor came home early one day. She was home from school after an afternoon class was canceled, a good thing too, because her fourth month of pregnancy was making her more and more tired. He was smiling, the first genuine one she'd seen him wear in weeks. He grabbed her up from the couch where she was lounging and pulled _her_ close, kissing her on the cheek.

"A really good case has just been offered to me by my firm. An oil tycoon in Texas is accused of murdering his wife, and I'm going to have to defend him. The guy is loaded, and he actually has faith that I can get him off." Trevor laughed darkly, and Connie was inwardly disgusted that a man could be so happy about a murder.

Trevor continued. "I'm leaving for Texas in two days, the trial begins next month, probably will be long and drawn out, they're predicting it won't be over for at least 4 months…" His smile faded slightly. "I'll be gone for a while."

Connie had been given a second chance. If he would be gone for at least 5 months, assuming it didn't take longer if Trevor managed to have certain things in court put off or asked for extensions, she could potentially have the baby before he returned to her. It wasn't foolproof, and _it was dumb_, but if she could successfully hide the child from him it would be worth the risk of him finding out. If she could pull this off, her life could go according to plan.

Understand, she hadn't yet grasped the concept of actually being a mother. She felt no real connection to the child, instead having the same concerns for it she would someone she knew slightly, a coworker or a fellow student. She didn't love _it_, that was certain. However, she didn't want _it_ hurt. Trevor wouldn't love _it_, and she couldn't….at least she didn't think so. Connie was nineteen, a student, a dreamer, and this kid didn't fit. She had a taste of power and just wasn't quite ready to risk losing it yet.

The morning Trevor left, Connie got in contact with an adoption agency and set the process of giving up the child. A nice family from Tennessee had been waiting for a baby for four years, and she would be doing them a favor. Things progressed too smoothly, however, a fate caught her up in the pain she was due.

At two weeks earlier than expected, Connie went into labor. The doctors spouted some nonsense that she didn't understand, but the essentials included the fact that the child was damned to die if they didn't deliver _it_. Connie suddenly was overwhelmed with the reality of what she was doing. "It" wasn't just an it…it was a baby. _It was her baby_….and she had agreed to give it up. She was going to throw him away like she did Sonny, like she did everything that got in her way. In that moment, Connie was sure she was doing the right thing by giving the baby up for adoption…at least he wouldn't have a mother as worthless as her.

The baby's "parents" wouldn't arrive from Tennessee for another two days, it was the fastest plane they could catch. So, Connie was the first to hold her son. Her resolve broke when she held his little hand in hers. He had a tuft of dark hair, and she wondered if he looked more like her or Trevor. One of the nurses commented that he favored her, and Connie cried for the first time with her son in her arms. He actually opened his eyes for a moment in between slumber, and she gazed into his little blue eyes looking up at her. She wondered if they would stay that color, or perhaps fade to a green, or even a brown. It crushed her when she realized she wouldn't know.

When the adoptive parents arrived, they took the baby the day they got there. They offered to keep in touch with her, send pictures, anything she wanted. Connie denied everything they presented her with. She didn't even want to know their names.

Her arms ached after they took her son away. She wanted him back, but knew it was for the best. A family vs. a selfish mistress of an egocentric dangerous man? Her baby deserved them. But it destroyed her. An hour after they left, the nurses had to sedate her because Connie awoke from a nightmare about her son being dead, limp and grey in her arms. She had a panic attack caused by that delusion and the medication pumping in her veins, and the nurses caught her before she seriously hurt herself. Connie had begun scratching her nails into her abdomen, drawing blood, screaming "No…no…no," over and over again, and by the time they reached her she was in full breakdown mode...

Oh, how she _mourned_ that little boy.

When Trevor returned, Connie was a whisper of the person she had been. She faked immense personal strength of character, as if no one in the world knew how to take her down. Understand, Connie had decided to dedicate herself to making that great pain worth it. She stayed with Trevor for over 3 more years before deciding she had used him enough. Connie took his money to pay for her schooling, used his friends to get herself a job as an assistant at Couture magazine, and built a reputation for herself as a person who was quickly rising up the ladder of fashion. She began going by the name _Kate Howard_, a name remeniscent of the mistress turned Queen of England, wife of Henry VII. She liked the idea of portraying the woman who rose to power, even if said woman ended up beheaded. Connie wasn't a big dog yet, but people knew who she was. Apart of her did genuinely love Trevor, so it was easy to stay with him for as long as she did.

However, the fame she was establishing for herself gave her a steadier grasp on her reality. She wasn't a naïve young thing anymore, but developing into something greater. Connie started _insisting_ on being called Kate Howard, and wasn't too keen on doing _every little thing_ that Trevor asked of her anymore, started not to care as much of what he thought of her. His jealousies and nitpicking ways grew tedious, and his ever-present affair with criminals, whether defending them or working with them, began to disgust her.

One day, she left him all together, though he continued to try to see her whenever he could, and she _obliged _him of his "needs". In later years she realized she was wrong about him, and he cared more about her than she realized.

Then there was the day Connie Falconeri took her last breath, and Kate Howard stepped into her shoes forever. Few people would probably remember they were the same person. She got everything she ever wanted in doing so. The girl Trevor Lansing groomed into the woman that ran a fashion empire stood strongly on her own. Eventually, she would receive attention and awards, money, acclaim…the list went on and on. _There even came a day when she was almost able to convince herself that she deserved it all._

Nevertheless, there was one thing that continued to haunt her. She had one unsettling question that had a knack of springing to the forefront of her mind at random times. There was the day she was at the park, letting the sun fall on her face, when her breath caught in her throat. It once happened in the middle of a conversation with an assistant, in which she completely lost track of what she was saying and started yelling at the poor girl. The most common time she was haunted by this ghost of a question would be the moment she was awakened from a deep sleep in the middle of the night.

She couldn't help but ask herself….what were the color of her son's eyes?

--

**A/N:** I love Kate Howard. Do I _honestly_ think that she is Spinelli's mother? I'm not sure. However, I do think that it would be _**uh-may-zing**_ if she was. The idea is that she and Trevor were involved for a very long time when she was exstremely young and had a less formal "friends with benefits" relationship off and on after they broke up. I don't know if that is how it goes on GH...but whateva!

Shout out to the coolest kids in the world who have been reviewing: IlovetowriteSMP, Lady Selenity, Powderblue,onesmartgoalie, penguino3782, Average Everyday Sane Psycho, Tishannia, izzle284,Charmedchick89, JENNy is RAD, and Shygirl 999. You guys are sweethearts for taking the time to review! Thanks for the support.

**NEXT CHAPTER: Trevor Lansing becomes Spinelli's new project. I wonder what he might discover if he used his amazing cyber skills to find out some dirt on Mr. Lansing. Any guesses? cackle Oh what a tangled web I've weaved. **


	6. Projects and Agendas

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 5: Projects and Agendas**

"The best part of 'believe' is the lie" –Fall Out Boy

Jason had to become focused. He had to put aside all of the drama that surrounded Elizabeth, Jake and him for a while, otherwise things were going to go bad fast. Sonny told him about this new threat, Anthony Zacchara, and it was time to make good on that promise he had made to keep his son safe. If it turned out that he had let his emotions get the best of him right at a critical moment like this, he would never forgive himself.

The first thing he had to do to was see if Sonny's suspicions about Trevor Lansing's convenient arrival in town were correct. If Trevor really was a scout sent ahead of a criminal army bent on a takeover, Jason needed to find out everything he could on his life, his dealings, his connections, etc. Jason grinned a little when he realized that he was about to turn to the "Jackal" for help once again. That kid had come in handy at just about every recent turn of events in his life. He wouldn't admit it, because it wasn't his nature, but Jason was glad that he could call Spinelli a friend.

Opening the door to his penthouse, he wasn't surprised to find Spinelli in full on "Jackal" mode playing some game on his inanimate best friend, his laptop. Spinelli barely registered that someone had opened to door he was so engrossed in the game. Upon a closer look, Jason realized that Spinelli was playing a character that looked suspiciously like him, a computerized "Stone Cold". So, this was that game he had been rambling on and on about. 'Dumb kid', Jason thought but smiled a little at the absurdity of it all.

"Spinelli." He said, trying to break the kid's attention.

"Uh…" was his only response.

"Spinelli." Jason repeated, a little more aggravated this time.

"Just gotta…kill…goon…"

"Spinelli!" Jason's exclamation finally got his strange friend's attention. Spinelli spun around in his computer chair so fast that he almost slung himself onto the ground.

"Stone Cold. You rang?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "I have some digging I need you to do. Sonny thinks that there may be an attempt at a takeover; I need you to research some people. The usual…bank records, phone records, anything and everything."

Spinelli turned back to his computer in the blink of an eye and began typing away. "You were wise to come to the Jackal for help, Stone Cold. Does this mean that Mr. Corinthos, Sir trusts my abilities as official assassin of the internet to achieve his goals of hindering the Unwise Ones?"

"Uh…no…he doesn't know I'm getting help from you." Jason explained as ambiguously as he could so as not to hurt Spinelli's feelings. The truth was that Sonny thought that Spinelli was a freak of nature.

"Ah. The Godfather still does not see the awesomeness of my powers."

"Yeah. Something like that. Look, Spinelli, I need you to research the names Anthony Zacchara and Trevor Lansing." Jason explained.

Spinelli was so absorbed in his typing that he didn't register at first Trevor's last name. When he did, he cocked his head to the side and blinked a few times. "Lansing? Like…the D.A. of Darkness Lansing?"

Jason sighed. "His father. Trevor Lansing is Zacchara's lawyer, and Zacchara is a rival from Manhattan. Though, Sonny and I don't think Trevor is just his lawyer…we think he is a scout to see where Sonny's organization is weak."

"Wow…A Scout of Darkness. That's heavy stuff. Do you think the Dastardly D. A. and his father could be working together? The timing is awfully convenient. Ric just failed at getting you sent to prison so he gets his daddy involved?"

Jason nodded in agreement. "That's why it is vital that you find out everything you can about him. Who is he really? You know the drill."

Spinelli began his typing spree again. "Indeed I do. Well, I'm going to create a search engine that will find any documents with either Unwise One's name linked to it, so we should have some answers pretty quickly."

Jason felt a little relieved. If there was any dirt on Trevor, Spinelli would find it. Where they went from there was up to Sonny, which was scary to think about. Sonny would be taking this possible takeover personally, and when Sonny got emotional things got messy. He had a habit of not being able to keep his feelings in check.

Almost an hour later, Spinelli's rogue search engine started turning up information. All of it was a jumble of phone numbers, addresses, random bills and bank transfers. There were some articles that told of Lansing's major wins and losses. It seemed that Trevor was a unusually successful lawyer, his loss rate was so low. Perhaps he had won cases legitimately, but more likely than not Trevor had some major connections to city puppet masters.

However, none of this was exceptional. Nothing stood out, and for a moment Jason was sure their search was in vain. Then, Spinelli made his trademark weird nervous laugh indicating that he had found something strange. It seemed that a rather interesting document had found its way into the Jackal's claws. Spinelli had a hard time considering what to make of the sort of information.

"Uh…Stone Cold…the Evil Scout is listed as the father of an adopted kid." Jason perked up at this information. "I've got the second page of some adoption papers and his name and information are all over it." Spinelli said shakily. Adoption papers…The thought of them made his heart sink.

Jason hurried over to see what Spinelli was talking about. "Well…I think Trevor was married and that his wife legally adopted Ric as her son…maybe that's what you found."

Spinelli shook his head, pointing at a specific line in the document. "No, look. The date on this is only….uh…I can't add right but maybe twenty years ago. He's too young to be Ric. This page is the father's information on a kid born…" he paused a second to consider further. "Wow…that's…" Spinelli began to make an observation but stopped.

Jason caught Spinelli's apprehension. "What?"

Spinelli actually ignored him. It was very unlike him to cut Jason out.

"Let me just collect the rest of the document…" Jason was no longer focused on the computer screen but instead on his strange friend's reaction. After some typing, Spinelli was able to get his hands on the full document. He was reading it extremely fast and Jason watched the younger man's eyes dart along the screen. Jason realized that the hacker had been holding his breath. Then, Spinelli's face turned white.

"Oh…god." Spinelli murmured. Looking up into Jason's face, he realized that Jason had been watching him, as if he had forgotten that there was anyone in the room but him. Spinelli slammed the lid of his computer screen and began to run out the door, but Jason caught him around and made Spinelli face him. Spinelli was no longer ghostly white, but red with embarrassment. Spinelli pulled himself away from Jason and then pushed him roughly in the chest.

"Back the hell off dude. I'm not some thug you're going to throw around."

Jason grabbed the kid around the shoulders and made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere. His aggravation at Spinelli's sudden outburst dissipated when he realized that Spinelli actually looked as though he was about to cry.

"Stop. What is wrong?" Jason searched Spinelli's eyes, which were looking anywhere but into his.

"You… can't… tell anyone." Spinelli said in a voice that broke in between gasps for air. The kid was about to hyperventilate. Jason relinquished his grip on the Spinelli and backed up to give him some air. "I need to find something…I've never… told anyone…this doesn't make sense…you have to promise me, Jason, you can't tell anyone!"

--

It might as well have been Christmas, Trevor Lansing felt so wonderful. He had only hoped to find something on Kate this good, never thought he actually would. A son? It was hysterical. She had a son that she never claimed, well, rejected was a better word for it, and she thought she would keep it a secret forever.

Trevor sat on the bench at the docks of Port Charles that overlooked the water. Clutching the file the informant had collected for him in his hands, Trevor prepared himself for a goldmine of information. It didn't answer all of his questions though…in fact it shocked him more than anything. Kate's son wasn't a little boy, as Trevor had expected. He was grown, almost twenty according to his birthday…and that meant only one thing. This kid, Damien, was conceived when Trevor and Kate had been seeing each other. Unless she had been having an affair, which Trevor doubted seriously because he was pretty sure he had Kate wrapped around him tightly, this was _his_ son.

He had another son. How? How had she kept that from him? Did he simply close his eyes for nine months? Trevor's mind was spinning. The file fell from his hands and spilled onto the ground. Cursing, Trevor collected the pages, and while doing so, heard footsteps falling onto the stairs that led onto the docks. Quickly sweeping the papers away from prying eyes, Trevor spun around to see who had caught him off guard.

Kate stood there staring at him, confused.

"Did you fall Trevor? Why are you on the ground?" She headed toward a piece of paper he had not yet had the chance to grab and he had to sprint to get it out of her grasp before she had a chance to look at it. Kate was taken aback by such open hostility, and the look of shock was clear on her face.

"Why are you so upset, Trevor? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Trevor stood up slowly, staring her down. He didn't know where to start. Unsure of what he would say, he gave himself time to think by dusting off his jacket. A ghost? No, a warm body that shared his face. He bit the tip of his tongue and gripped the file tightly in his hands, holding it like a weapon that he would like to beat her with. The heartless coward that stood in stylish dress and _two hundred dollar shoes_ was about to feel his wrath.

"Oh, Connie…I haven't just been seeing ghosts…I've been collecting them." His voice faked a sort of lightness that was betrayed by the rage in his eyes. Trevor waved the file in front of her, resisting the urge to knock the superficial look of concern off her face. It was hard to think he had ever loved her.

Kate was taken aback at the use of her real name. "Trevor, what are you talking about?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips defensively.

Trevor shuffled his feet before answering. "I'll be straight with you, Connie, even though you never gave me that option, you devil. I'm working for a very powerful man, a man that could have you dead in the next hour if I asked him to." Trevor's face lit up at the fear she held within her eyes. "An hour ago, I had a plan about blackmailing you in order to get you to give up information on that mad dog Sonny Corinthos, but the plans have changed."

Kate didn't know how to respond to him. "Blackmail me? What are you talking about, Trevor?"

Her hand reached into her purse for her cell phone, in case she had to call 911. He saw her sly movement and grabbed her bag and phone from her hand, tossing the bag on the ground and throwing the phone into the harbor.

Trevor waved the file like a dagger in her face again. "Connie…When were you going to tell me that I was a _proud_ Papa?" He asked her sarcastically. Kate clutched a hand to her mouth, almost as if she couldn't decide whether or not she was going to vomit. "A son, Kate? We have a son…how did you hide that from me?"

"Trevor…I…" Kate whispered from behind her hand, eyeing the file in his hands and made a move to grab it from him, but Trevor grabbed her wrist and twisted it back on itself. He really wanted to cause the small woman a lot of pain at that moment. She grimaced and yelped like a small animal struck, clawing at his wrist with perfectly manicured nails.

"Bad girl, Kate. So, let's see here." Trevor relinquished her wrist and flipped through the file reading off certain lines that caught his eye. "A boy, by the looks of it almost twenty, adopted by a sweet couple from Tennessee, oh, _wow_, that is tragic…" He looked up from his file into her eyes to see that she was hanging on his every word.

"What? What's tragic?"

"Oh, they died. Don't you just _hate_ to hear that?" Trevor clicked his tongue in admonishment. "Very sad…poor kid is rejected by Momma and the only parents he knows leave him too. I bet he's one lonely, _screwed up_ kid. Look what you did, Kate." Trevor spat her.

Kate grabbed Trevor's shoulders and brought him close to her. Snaking her hands up to his face, she held his head focused onto hers. This pose brought to mind the part in a movie where the two would have shared one amazing kiss had it been under different circumstances. This wasn't about being close, it was about making sure there was no room for distractions.

"I didn't think you would want him…I didn't think I could love him…I was so young and stupid, Trevor! You left for that damned trial before I got a chance to tell you and I convinced myself that I would be making a better choice if I had just…let him go." Tears ran down her perfectly made up face, mascara trailing a black line down her cheek. Trevor almost felt sorry for how pathetic she was. Instead of understanding, however, he threw her off of him.

"Kate, you made a bad, bad decision. See, you've been upgraded. I was hoping to find something that would make you a tool for Zacchara. Now, you are not only useful to him, but I am going to get the chance to see you pay for this." Trevor's voice hushed for a moment. "You _knew_ how much I cared for you, how much I wanted you. I was given very few chances in life, and you were one of them. Instead, you were too selfish to want share your life with me. You will suffer this, Kate." The last line rang like a gunshot in the air.

Kate shook. "What are you going to do?"

Trevor laughed at her. "Well let's see. First thing, I'll tell Anthony to put a man on this little kid of ours. Next, I'll make probably twenty copies of this file and put them in nice little envelopes, and I'll find out just which newspapers have the largest audiences. If you don't agree to do everything I say, well, let's just say that our bouncing baby boy will not be alive to see the 8 A. M. news, news that will be talking all about the secret love child of fashion's princess Kate Howard."

"You can do what you want to my name, but our son? You'd have him killed? _Our son_, killed?" Kate asked flabbergasted.

The night had devoured all traces of the daylight by this time, and Trevor's face was only lit by the glow from surrounding building. It was quite menacing. "But he's not my son, Kate. You made sure of that."

His spite reminded Kate of all the times he put her down, and a new strength started to swell within her.

"You know what, Trevor. I would apologize to you if you were worth it…if you were the good person I wished you could be. But you aren't. For a while I debated with myself the reason why I ever let you go. Now I remember. Because no matter how much you love others, you love yourself so _much_ more. I did what was _right_ for our son…I gave him a life…" A thought occurred to Kate. "You haven't even told me his name…how do I know you even know it?"

"Oh, Katie, now….why would I give you that type of information? I wouldn't want you to be able to sleep at night. What else do you want to know, Kate? Let me guess…Do you want to know where he went to school? What's his favorite book? _What color are his eyes_?"

**_Yes_**, Kate thought. "How the hell do you even expect me to believe he is even alive, Trevor?"

Trevor considered the cowering woman. "Well, I'll be honest with you, darling. I just have some minor things…birth date, name, parental information…But Zacchara has the connections to have him found within the hour, which is why I would suggest that you come with me." Trevor reached out a hand to her.

Kate starred at the hand. Taking it meant so many things, but more than anything it meant her son's life. If she could do only one motherly thing to protect her son, it would be this. She took Trevor's hand in hers, and he led her into the night.

--

"Mr. Corinthos?"

"Yes. This is him. May I ask who's calling?" Sonny asked the woman on the other line.

"Hi, this is Kate Howard's assistant…I was just wondering if you have heard from her. She was supposed to call me to make some arrangements about a photo shoot and I can't reach her on any line. That cell phone is usually glued to her hand…I'm just worried is all."

Sonny considered what the young woman was saying. Kate Howard not answering her calls?

"Sir?" the girl prodded further.

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"Yesterday afternoon. She hasn't called anyone here at the office all day. I…I'm just so used to her being there…badgering me or something. It's not like her to just go missing in action."

Sonny felt as though he swallowed ice. Perhaps it was nothing, but he had a feeling that Zacchara had made his first move.

"You're right. It isn't."

--

**A/N**: So, I'm _really_ flattered by the amazing response the last chapter got. Someone actually suggested I write for General Hospital, and if any of you have mad connections or Jackal-like skills I will so do just that. LoL. Seriously though….I need a job. :) Anyways, thanks to you amazing people who reviewed. You keep this fire going. Oh, and for the people in the audience wondering why I allowed Trevor to seem somewhat human, it's because even villains have emotions. Think about what he was just informed of…It would bring out the human in most everyone. Just because you use people doesn't mean that you can't love them too…sometimes you just love yourself more.

**VERY IMPORTANT: I usually update this story every two days...HOWEVER...I am a homesick college kid and I'm going home over the weekend to be with the family unit. The next update won't be until AFTER THE HOLIDAY! Look for a chapater Tuesday or Wednesday of NEXT WEEK. I know...how will you all survive? I promise the chapter will be worth the wait! Nothing like seeing your family to make you understand how someone would feel if they never truly knew theres...hint hint.**

**Next Chapter: "Scars and Stories"…Spinelli puts the "Jackal" aside long enough to tell Jason about his own secret pain. But it's not all tears and sadness. Expect some nice mobster-y action.**


	7. Scars and Stories

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 6: Scars and Stories**

"You're like the big brother I never had and it kills me to see you in this turmoil. And, it's not fair. It's not fair. It's not fair to you and it's not fair that kid. Cuz they're going to be missing out on the world's most awesome dad. Cuz you…you…you would actually be involved in this kid's life. You would read to him and you would play ball with him…or dolls…with her. And you would tell that kids the truth, you would. That's the most…that's more than most kids get. Look, I'm speaking from experience. My family…hah…They have a lot of secrets. And it is _not cool_ when the people you've been _counting on_ _your whole life _have been lying to you from square one. Ok, that baby, Elizabeth's baby, is going to find out the truth one day…and that kid….That kid is going to believe that the coolest dad around _didn't want them_. Now, can you honestly look me in the eye and say that you're okay with that?"

--Damien Spinelli to Jason Morgan, GH 04.06.07

Jason led Spinelli's trembling form over to the couch. Spinelli clutched the laptop close to his chest as if trying to cover himself. He felt so exposed, as if someone had clawed at his skin and peeled back the flesh to show the weakness of the man inside. Spinelli sat heavily on the couch, feeling so heavy that he expected to crash through the couch and through the ground itself. He wanted to fall, to collapse. Still clutching the laptop, he focused all of his attention on his feet tapping fast enough against the carpet from nerves that he thought he could rub a hole through the floor by the end of the hour. He would have been content to never break his gaze from that site, but Jason intervened.

"Spinelli…what is going on?"

He realized that there was no escaping this room. Spinelli didn't know where to start, but words seemed to form for him.

"My parents died when I was fourteen." He didn't know why that mattered, but something told him that that was the best place to start. Jason's instincts took over, and Spinelli could see him physically bracing himself. It was his defense mechanism; remain cool and collected on the outside but prepare yourself mentally for great damage.

"I'm sorry…you never mention them." Jason replied apprehensively.

"Yeah…it was rough…we had a falling out the year before and weren't really ever close again…" Spinelli remembered the cold night his grandmother roused him from sleep and took him to the hospital to see his parents, the two of them wandering into his father's room to see him lying in bed, slashed, bruised, swollen. His grandmother probably would have kept him from the room, but she wasn't expecting what they saw either.

"This 18 wheeler slid on the road…my parents drove this green economy car…they didn't have a chance." His mother died on impact, and his father the next day due to internal bleeding that couldn't be stopped in time. Spinelli had never felt so completely _alone_ in his life.

"That's horrible."

"Yeah…I'd hoped that we would all become close with each other again one day. I avoided them as much as I could for a long time, mainly staying in my room and stuff..All the while I hoped, you know, that ...Maybe tomorrow or the next day, I could forgive them. Then they died…all my chances were taken." Spinelli ripped the beanie off of his head and threw it across the room in frustration. Jason's hand twitched at the sudden act of frustration. It was that instinct again, Spinelli guessed. It must have been great, never being surprised.

"What….what did you have a falling out over?" Jason asked.

Several things flashed before Spinelli's eyes at once. The image of his parents, a light-brown-haired, brown eyed mother and a blond haired, brown eyed father stared at him from years ago, still alive in his mind. He remembered the day at a blood drive when he realized that neither his mother nor father had the same blood type as him. Spinelli recalled the lesson in biology when he found out that this was very strange. He recollected the day he asked his mother on the way home from school why he had such dark brown hair, where did it come from? He could still see the grimace on her face when he asked. Spinelli still felt the cold of the tile under his feet as he spied on his parents from a bathroom next to their living room, his mom and dad fighting quietly but intensely about what was "best" for him. He could recite the exact curse words his father exclaimed when Spinelli revealed himself and demanded to know what the hell they were talking about.

Jason must have noticed that Spinelli was years and years away. "Spinelli?" He said, quietly.

"They lied to me, Stone Cold…Jason….They were fighting about me and I wanted to know why…and they told me…they told me…" That was it, the tears came. Spinelli let one hand off the laptop and grabbed his own face pressing the corners of his eyes to make them stop leaking. Even though he did not make a sound, Jason knew Spinelli was completely shattered as his body gave one violent jerk from a sob.

"Spinelli I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

Spinelli looked up from his hand directly into Jason's face. He wasn't being mean or impatient, and Spinelli knew that Jason's command was simply a way to get Spinelli to control himself.

The words came out of his mouth before he could stop. "They told me they adopted me. They picked me like some lost dog at a pound. There was this _poor little woman_ who just _couldn't deal_ with having a baby and she gave me up. I was too much of a burden for one person so my parents _kindly_ took me in. Do you know what it is like to be considered an object of _trade_?" Spinelli stared Jason down and he could tell that Jason was really uncomfortable. He didn't like ambiguity.

"I don't--" Jason began but Spinelli cut him off.

"I'm prone to panic attacks for some reason and I started to freak out on them. My mom thought that the best way to calm me down was get me this damned file and she's was all like 'Here, Damien, look at this, it will answer all of your questions'. She hands this manila file to me that had been in their filing cabinet for years, a cabinet that I had scanned through dozens of times and yet never noticed, and Mom kind of looks at me to make the next move." Spinelli stood up suddenly and turned his back to Jason, speaking to the wall, almost as if he could see his mother there from years ago.

"I didn't want to read the explanation of what was going on, I wanted them to _explain_ it to me. My dad looks at me and says 'It's all there, _son_, her name, your dad's name, anything you want' and I couldn't believe what was going on. They obviously hadn't ever planned to tell me anything and were winging it."

Spinelli looked down at the laptop in his hands, but all he saw was a manila folder clutched in the death grip of a thirteen year old boy.

"I just stared at the thing and they stared at me…and then I remembered that I had a lighter in my pocket and something told me to just burn it, burn their lies, and so I did." He turned back and faces Jason, who was looking up from him captivated. Spinelli sat back down on the couch. There was so much intensity in what he had been saying that Spinelli looked and felt physically drained. When he finally found his voice again, it was strained by depression.

"My mother freaked and couldn't believe I was destroying to thing that would have 'all the answers, son'. You know what though? _I got the point_. Some dumb young selfish woman couldn't handle me, dumped me, and I didn't want to know anything about her. I could have searched for the answers and got them in the time it took me to make a search engine, _but I didn't want to. Do you understand, Jason?" _

Jason just stared. He did know. He didn't want to know about his past after his head injury over a decade ago. Explanations sometimes were the last thing you wanted.

Spinelli opened the laptop and typed for a moment until he came to the page of the document that mattered. He pushed it over in Jason's direction, and the older man grabbed it began reading what had caused Spinelli's outburst.

This time, Spinelli got to watch someone as they read something damning. A thought occurred to him that Jason might feel obligated to tell Sonny, and Spinelli eyed the door again. Escaping wouldn't have been that hard. He could get out to the elevator before Jason had a chance to react. Running wouldn't be a saving grace though, and he knew it. He supposed that he would simply have to trust Jason.

Jason looked up from the computer screen. "You're Trevor's son."

Spinelli watched the different emotions race across Jason's features. Comprehending, understanding, concern, dread. "I swear to you that I didn't know, Stone Cold. I never intended to find out. You have to believe me."

Jason knew that this kid was almost completely incapable of a convincing lie. It registered in his tone, the desperation in his eyes.

"I believe you." Spinelli sighed with relief.

"You can't tell anyone, Jason. I don't want anyone to know….I haven't even grasped it all yet. Please, Jason, not even Sonny."

Jason sighed heavily. "Sonny should know. This could be important. But…" Spinelli was about to interrupt him. "You kept Jake's secret; I can keep this one, as long as I can at least. If it's a matter of life and death I won't hesitate in telling Sonny, especially considering how dangerous Trevor is. You're officially at risk." Spinelli seemed to be able to accept this, but bowed his head in worry.

"We need to find out all we can about this though. We need to know if Trevor is aware of you. So, explain to me all you know again."

Spinelli shrugged. "My parents said that they met my mom, that she was young, the offered to keep in touch and she just didn't want that at all…" Spinelli's gaze dropped for a second. "They said I was born early, nearly died."

Jason registered all of this. "What is her name?"

Spinelli took the laptop from Jason and looked at another page of the adoption papers. His mother had been his age when she delivered him. He thought of Lulu, how young she was, and could not imagine a man as old as Trevor must have been seducing someone who could barely be called a woman.

"Constance Falconeri." Spinelli began a search for anything he could on her.

"Falconeri?" Jason asked in a weird voice.

Spinelli looked up from the computer and caught a small bit of shock on Jason's face.

"What?"

Jason considered for a moment his reply. Sonny had told him about Connie Falconeri/Kate Howard and how she had been one of Trevor's mistresses. The woman that found herself caught between the personalities of Sonny Corinthos and Trevor Lansing, enemies that spanned decades of loathing, a woman who concerned herself with the flippant ways of fashion and design, was Spinelli's mother. She had always struck Jason as cold, and this was the ultimate deception of character.

Spinelli was a lonely, sensitive person who fixated on people and things to the point of obsession because no one ever took the time to consider him with such intensity. Kate Howard did not have the time for a son. It _enraged_ him. To be given every opportunity to raise your child was such a blessing, he knew, and he couldn't understand how she could so easily throw him away when it was so hard for Jason to do the same thing.

Looking at Spinelli's questioning stare, Jason debated on whether or not he could tell him the truth. This was suddenly very complicated, and Jason decided it was wiser not to show his cards just yet.

"It's nothing." Jason replied, and just as Spinelli was about to debate him some results came in on Spinelli's search.

"There are phone records and bank account statements…they kind of just stop around eighteen years ago. It's like she doesn't exist after that." Jason was a nervous about how close Spinelli was to the truth.

A little sadder, Spinelli said, "I wonder if she died…"

"Don't dwell on it Spinelli…that must be a cold trail. Let's focus more on Trevor." Jason tried to distract him.

Spinelli couldn't help but think about the age of his mother…how young she was…A small part of him could almost identify with the fear she must have felt at being barely an adult and about to deliver a child. For the first time since he found out he was adopted years ago, he almost understood.

He and Jason analyzed the documents he turned up for hours before his raw emotions and the late hour caught up with him. When Spinelli crashed onto his bed and pulled the blanket over his head, blocking out even the moonlight, he couldn't help but feel more alone than ever. Even after getting the puzzle of his life solved, he couldn't help but feel as though he were missing a piece.

--

Jason Morgan awoke to the sound of a cell phone. He almost toppled out of bed in a tangle of sheets to answer it. Looking down at the caller I.D., he realized it was Sonny calling.

"Sonny?"

"Jason. We have a problem. Kate Howard has gone missing." Jason could hear the uncertainness in his voice.

"Zacchara?" Jason asked.

"I think he must have had something to do with it. It's too convenient."

"I'll be right over."

When Sonny got off the phone with Jason, he immediately began dialing another number.

"Hello? Stan. It's Corinthos. I need you to find out everything you can on Anthony Zacchara and Trevor Lansing."

--

Anthony Zacchara stretched back in his chair. He liked this little office. It was very makeshift. He'd had some men search for an abandoned warehouse, and after tossing out a few homeless men, they had found a very quaint little home base. He couldn't care less that his office was a closed off area filled with such stylish furniture as a card table and a lawn chair. Zacchara didn't plan to be there very long. Besides, he just needed a place to take meetings.

And in walked his 9:00. Trevor Lansing pulled up an overturned crate and sat across from him.

"Where did you put her?" He asked Lansing.

Lansing smiled lightly. "Oh, Ms. Howard is stationed comfortably in the back room. She is already detailing for Roberto the exact layout of Sonny's house. I thought we would start off small, ask her about some of his haunts later."

Zacchara was a brutal man, never blinking at some of the violence he had to inflict on others to stay in power. However, it was one thing to accept his own violent behavior and a completely different thing to enjoy it as much as Trevor Lansing did. A thought occurred to Zacchara…Lansing had always been the perfect soldier. Publicly reputable and yet privately vicious, Trevor Lansing knew how to get a job done. He was too good at what he did. Zacchara decided to take the opportunity presented to him to reiterate his alpha-dog status.

Anthony knew that Kate Howard meant a lot to Trevor. When he had asked Trevor to get dirt on her, Anthony knew he had found Trevor's weakness. It was the first time that Lansing had ever questioned an order. Why her? What were his plans? Yes, definitely a weakness.

"I would like an explanation as to why she was so eager to come stay with us, Trevor."

Trevor's eyes grew wide for a second. Bingo, there it was. "She's…worried about her reputation…I just found out…."

"Found out about Damien Spinelli?" asked Zacchara with look of faux sadness.

"How…did..." Trevor stumbled.

Anthony pulled out a roll of papers from his jacket pocket. "You used my people Trevor. I get to know everything they find out." Lansing paled. He had hoped to come up with something before Zacchara got a chance to question anything about Kate's kidnapping.

"I was going to tell you."

Anthony kicked back again, this time propping his feet up on a crate. "I know you were. Don't worry though, you don't need to come up with any plans for the two...I've already got men on it."

Trevor stared. Zacchara was grinning and there was a devilish look in his eye. "What are you going to do?"

Zacchara broke down laughing. "Oh, Trevor...Trevor...You have no idea...I have been in the best mood ever since finding out about Mr. Spinelli. It's perhaps the most perfect situation."

"What?"

"Your son, Trevor, was just going to be a way to get Kate Howard to talk...He's so much more important now. Did you know he lives in Port Charles?"

Trevor let out a shaky breath. "No. I did not. So, you've already found him."

Zacchara smiled as big a as crocodile and just as deadly. "Oh, yes." Anthony pulled out a picture of a messy headed brunette boy. "Take a look at your progeny, Mr. Lansing."

Trevor took the picture gently from Zacchara's grip and looked at the boy he had never been able to know. He was walking in what looked to be a park wearing scraggly clothes and toting along a messenger bag. Next to him was a pretty blond girl and they were talking. Damien was not as handsome as Richard perhaps, but he looked like his brother in a strange way. A warped version of him, possibly. There were significant traces of Kate all about him.

It was terrifying to see his son. Before, he was just a name. Now, he wondered what he had gotten himself into, especially because of the grin that Zacchara sported. It was sadistic.

Zacchara interrupted his train of thought. "Nice looking kid. Bad choice in friends though. Your son works for Sonny Corinthos."

"No."

"Oh yes. He's a computer hacker. Real eccentric kid. Anyways, he knows all the ins and outs of Corinthos' work." Anthony loved the look on Trevor's face with this news. It was shock in its greatest form. "Happy birthday to me."

Trevor looked back down at the picture, at the boy who had no idea that he was now a weapon for Manhattan's strongest and most violent crime boss.

"What are you going to do to him?"

"Oh, well, right now I have people watching his patterns. In a few days I'm going to bring him in for a little...questioning."

"Then what?"

Zacchara smiled his coldest grin yet. "Well, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but well...I've got to send a message to Corinthos. It's not like you ever really knew him anyways."

Trevor paled. Not this. Anything but this. This was just supposed to be blackmail. "You're going to kill him?"

"Only after he gives me everything I could ever dream of having on Sonny. Oh, and Kate will have to go too...I'm sorry, Trevor, but you can always get another bed warmer. It's just business. Nothing personal."

--

**A/N:** I'm back! This chapter was kind blah for me and I'm sorry if you agree. It's kind of just one of those necessary chapters to get from point a to b. Were getting closer and closer to the chapter I have been anticipating from the beginning...

**Next Chapter: It's time for a takeover, the breaks over. The pieces are in place for some major drama to go down...Stan brings Sonny some news that gets him riled up, a connection that spells betrayal. Spinelli better watch his back because two sides of an army are about to put him in their crosshairs.**


	8. Traitor

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 7: Traitor**

The air was ringing in Sonny's office. Both Jason and Sonny knew that Kate's disappearance was more than just a grown woman slacking off from work. Jason leaned in the corner of the office as Sonny told him all that he knew.

"Her assistant called me an hour ago and said that she hasn't heard from her since yesterday afternoon. I've already been informed that Trevor never returned to his hotel last night and Kate's maid said that her house was empty."

Jason sighed, frustrated. "What do you want me to do?"

Sonny stared the pictures of his sons with their mother and the tiny frame of Kristina. They would be next, he knew it. Trevor Lansing must have told Zacchara that Kate mattered to him. Kate had actually defended the bastard. From the moment that Sonny heard about Trevor's involvement with Zacchara he knew the lengths that man would go to to bring him down. He didn't have a conscience.

"I need you to just start looking for a lead. Break into Trevor's room, her house, anything you have to do."

Jason opened his mouth to say something but quickly stopped himself. Sonny caught his apprehension though.

"What?"

Jason hesitated. "I was just going to…suggest that you call Ric. See what he knows."

Sonny contemplated for a moment. "I might. The enemy of my enemy is my friend as they say."

The door opened and in walked Stan, out of breath. He carried with him a stack of files. Not seeing Jason standing in the corner or acknowledging he was there at all, Stan began talking very quickly.

"I got the stuff. It's…its incredible."

Jason cleared his throat and made Stan jump. "What stuff?"

"Damn it, Jason don't lurk."

Sonny explained. "I had him look up some things on Zacchara and Lansing. What have you found?"

Stan grinned. "Oh, Trevor Lansing is one interesting fellow, I'll tell you that much." He threw down the file on Sonny's desk and motioned for him to start reading.

Jason looked very uncomfortable. "I'm going to go look for Kate. Call me if any of that is necessary." Sonny didn't protest and nodded. Jason hurried out of the door.

Stan looked kind of surprised. "He's going to wish he'd stayed." Sonny raised an eyebrow.

"What did you find?" Sonny asked again. Stan could tell that Sonny was very tense and looked a little apprehensive about being the messenger of some rather disturbing news.

"Uh. You're not on of those 'kill the messenger' kind of men are you?" Stan asked, sitting down in the chair across from Stan and taking the file back, scanning through the papers to a specific page.

"I might be if you don't tell me what the hell is going on." Sonny replied in a dangerous tone. Stan was used to Sonny's mood swings but not at comfortable with the glare the man was giving him now.

"Well, I don't know how useful what I found is, it's more interesting than anything."

"What?"

"Trevor Lansing has another son." Pulling out the paternal information sheet from an page from a adoption arrangement, Stan handed it over to a wide-eyed Sonny who grabbed it greedily from his hands.

"A kid? Another kid?"

"Yeah."

Sonny's eyes darted over the page wishing the sheet could explain to him more than just dates and addresses and terms of agreement.

"Who? Who is he?"

"You're not going to like it."

Sonny's voice was darker this time. "Do I know him?" Stan nodded. He pulled out another sheet of the document.

"Damien Spinelli."

The look on Sonny's face from hearing this news made Stan feel bad whomever he took his frustration out on next.

--

Spinelli sat at Jason's desk in the penthouse going over the damning evidence he'd found on himself. He had woken up with the certain realizations about the danger he was in that had not occurred to him the night before. If Trevor did know about him, it could be safe to say that he knew how close that he was to Jason, and not just as a friend but as a person who knew the inner workings of Sonny's computer network. Spinelli had access to a great deal working for Sonny and Jason, and he could be used not only as a weapon on an emotional level but on a technical level as well.

So there he sat, trying to find anything that he could to save himself. Looking at the adoption agreement was more distracting than ever though. That woman, his mother, kept coming back to the forefront of his mind. Spinelli tried to focus on Trevor, but couldn't help search for more on Constance Falconeri. Spinelli knew where Trevor was, but he couldn't just accept the mystery that surrounded Constance.

She was so young, too young to have a baby and too young to just disappear off the face of the Earth in a way that suggest an untimely demise. Spinelli considered several different scenarios about what could have happened to her. She had been barely older than Lulu. _Lulu_.

Spinelli grabbed his cell phone and started dialing the Blonde One's number before even considering what he was going to say to her. "Oh, hello Fair Lulu. I am the spawn of a minion of doom." Not exactly the best way to break the news.

"Hey Spin, what's up?" Lulu's voice rang with a cheerfulness the Jackal had forgotten was possible.

"Blonde One. I…I know I can trust you. Something's….something's happened. Well…I just…" Spinelli rambled.

"Spinelli just spit it out. What's wrong?"

_I'm going to get myself killed._"Meet me at the docks in an hour."

Lulu's confusion was evident. "Okay, are you in trouble, cuz if you are you need to tell m-"

"I've gotta go, bye." Spinelli hung up quickly and sat down on the couch heavily. This was going to be really hard. He just felt as though he had to talk to Lulu, that she could make it seem okay. The penthouse phone rang and startled the jackal from his thoughts.

Walking over to the phone, he saw the caller ID. _Ric Lansing. _There were butterflies in his stomach at the sight of his brother's name. _His brother_. Yesterday, he'd been the loneliest guy in the world and happier for it. Today, he suddenly had a mom and a father and a brother. It was twisted.

He contemplated answering the phone.

There was a knock at the door. Spinelli eyed through the peephole a rather surly looking Max. He opened the door.

"Hello, Protector of the Night."

Max did not smile. "Mr. Corinthos wants to see you, Spinelli. You are not to ask any questions. It's not an option."

--

Sonny grinned widely at the kid that was pushed into the office by a rather forceful Max.

"Mr. Spinelli." He greeted him.

Spinelli shook with nerves. He was intimidated. _Good_. Sonny waved his hand in the direction of the chair that sat across from his desk.

"Sit."

Spinelli took the beanie off of his head in a show of respect and sat down heavily in the swiveling chair.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Corinthos, sir?" He asked, fidgeting with the knitted beanie. Sonny leaned back in his own chair looking relaxed an calm, but it did not shake Spinelli's look of confusion and nervousness.

"Oh, you know, I just realized I've never really gotten to know you, Damien."

"Well, the Jackal—"

Sonny cut him off. "The Jackal, the Jackal, the Jackal. I see now why you go by that instead of your real name. It's a lot less confusing."

"I don't know what you mean."

Sonny grinned again. "Well it's got to get crazy trying to decide if you should introduce yourself as Damien Spinelli or Damien Lansing."

Spinelli paled considerably. "Mr. Corinthos—"

Sonny wasn't grinning anymore. He grabbed the nearest thing on his desk, a marble paperweight, and threw it over Spinelli's head. Spinelli ducked so fast that he almost slung himself out of his chair. When he was right side up again, Sonny wasn't lounging in his chair but instead standing, leaning over his desk, gripping the sides.

"I have always thought you were a freak of nature. I understand why now. Insanity runs in your family."

Spinelli squirmed. "I didn't know, I swear to God I didn't know."

Sonny shouted this time. "Shut up! Let's look at the facts. You came to town when you created a flash drive that would incriminate Sam, a plan that was the brain child of Alcazar and our brother, Ric. That is not a coincidence."

"No, no that's not how it happened, I never knew, I--"

Sonny strode over to Spinelli's side of the desk and got right in his face.

"You're really brilliant, Damien. You play the eager helper, you buddy up to Jason, end up living in his house for months now, and by doing this you get to help out your big brother in his schemes to put me and Jason behind bars. What kind of information have you been feeding him this whole time?"

Spinelli was so afraid that he clamped his eyes shut. "I haven't done anything, I never knew about Ric--"

"You've known about Jason's son, known before even I knew. Is that why your brother conveniently asked who Jake's real father was when Jason was on trial?"

"No! Jason trusts me, just give me a chance to explain! If you would only let me get a few words out--"

Sonny really flew off the handle. "I've had it with you and your words. Your words, your damned lingo. You sold your little act rather well. You say Jason trusts you but I know he's been lied to so much recently that he probably can't decide what's fact from fiction anymore." Sonny's voice lowered to a very dangerous tone. "I don't know how long you will survive once he finds out about this."

This statement gave Spinelli his first bit of ammunition in a war of words. "No. Jason already knows. He believes me."

Sonny laughed a little. "Jason hasn't put all the pieces together like I have."

He then went and sat back down behind his desk and there was a deadly silence. Sonny considered the kid that sat trembling in front of him. Spinelli was a perfect weapon. No one would have ever seen him coming. He defied the rules of war by relying on his mind and skills over brawn to manipulate people.

"Mr. Spinelli, Jackal, whatever you call yourself…I want you to leave this office. You are no longer under my protection. Go tell your father that he's going to have to get himself a new spy. Give him my compliments on a beautifully executed plan. You better hope you chose the right side, son."

Spinelli was crestfallen, devastated completely. He lingered, staring openmouthed at Sonny. That irritated him further, the way the kid could never follow orders and always stuck around to get in a few more words. Pulling a pistol out of his desk drawer, he aimed it squarely on the kid.

"Or should I just kill you now?" Sonny asked. "I don't take kindly to betrayal."

Spinelli remained frozen, probably afraid that if he turned his back on Sonny he'd be killed. This scene brought back memories to Sonny of an encounter he had had with Ric a while back. He wondered if he could get the kid to jump like Ric had.

"Bam!"

Spinelli jumped from the chair and ran for the door, knocking into Jason who was entering the office. Not stopping to explain to a confused Jason what was going on, Spinelli bolted.

Jason surveyed the room. Spotting the gun in Sonny's hand, Jason immediately became defensive.

"What did you do, Sonny?"

Sonny calmly put the gun away. "From what I understand, you already know that everyone's favorite quirky hacker is actually Damien Lansing. When do you suppose you were going to tell me?"

Jason fired back. "I wasn't, Sonny, it's irrelevant!"

"So you buy his story?"

"We found out last night! You didn't see him! He was a wreck, almost had a panic attack!"

It was Sonny's turn to get loud. "He's a sociopath, Jason! Just like his brother and just like his father! They manage to feign human emotions to survive!"

Jason shook his head. "You're wrong this time, Sonny. You're too biased against Trevor and Ric to realize that Spinelli is completely innocent in this! If you ask me to do anything to him, you're on your own."

Sonny really took offense. "You may not be willing to do everything in your power to secure this territory, but I am."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've got a man on Spinelli right now. I bet anything that in twenty minutes Mr. Spinelli-Lansing is going to lead us straight to his daddy and therefore straight to Kate."

Jason threw his hands up in exasperation. "You are just like Ric! You spend so much time holding vendettas against the people who have wronged you that you're blind when it comes to them. Now, Spinelli, who has done nothing wrong and has done everything we ever asked him to is going to take the fall!"

Sonny shook his head. "He's been working for them this entire time, you mark my words. He was always too eager to help us. No one has ever been willing to help us the way he was."

"Did you ever consider that maybe he was so eager to help us because for the first time in his life someone valued him?"

--

Spinelli was running for dear life. _The __docks,__ get to the docks_. _Get to L__ulu_. He was going to die, Sonny was going to kill him. He had to leave town, get away, at least long enough to give him a chance to think up some way of convincing Sonny he was telling the truth. Maybe Jason would explain…

Lulu was waiting for him at the water's edge. She was peering out at the sea and grinned when she saw him.

"Spinelli!" her grin quickly faded as he got closer to her and she became aware of the shaking mess he was. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly for a second, but she gently pushed him off of her.

"What happened, what's wrong?"

He made a small weird noise. "I've got to get out of here—Sonny is going to kill me--"

Lulu's eyes grew huge with shock. "What?"

Spinelli fidgeted with his bag and tried to find a place to begin. He wasn't given the opportunity. Out of nowhere three men grabbed him and Lulu. Two men grabbed his arms and held them tight while the third restrained a screaming Lulu. Spinelli tried to swing his bag into their faces and he struggled a lot, but the man on his left kneed him in his back. Spinelli crumpled a little and then was forced to undergo another swift kick in the back of his leg. One of the men forced him to kneel on the ground, holding his hands behind his back in such a way that the only thing keeping Spinelli from falling face first into the wooden docks was their grip.

The second man squatted down to his level. Spinelli knew there was no escape. Something cold and metal was pressed into his jaw and by the look on Lulu's face he knew it must have been a gun. He could feel the breath on the side of his face when the goon spoke.

"Mr. Zacchara wants a word."

"Ok, I'll go, just let her go!" Spinelli pleaded.

The man holding Lulu relinquished her much to his surprise. They were going to let her go! Spinelli realized that they were doing this not to be nice, _but because they liked to leave witnesses_. Lulu stood frozen on her own.

"All right, time to go," said one of the goons holding Spinelli, waving Lulu away.

Spinelli pleaded with her to leave. She still just stood there, unmoving. "Go Lulu! Tell Jason!"

Then all went black, and the last thing he heard was Lulu scream. The goons had knocked him out with the handle of the gun to his head.

Seeing his limp form sent Lulu into a frenzy. "No! What did you do to him?"

"Relax girl, he's just taking a nap. Get the hell out of here."

Lulu took one more look at the unconscious face of Spinelli and then darted up the stairs of the docks. She didn't want to leave him, but her feet were carrying her away before her mind could even conceive of what had just happened. She just kept running. Lulu vaguely realized her feet were taking her to the coffee shop where she hoped Sonny would be. Why did Spinelli think Sonny was going to kill him? Was he just being his usual overdramatic Jackal self?

There was a shouting match going on inside the office. She would have usually been polite and waited, but this was life and death, so she barged into the scene of a volatile fight between Jason and Sonny.

"He's done nothing wrong, Sonny!" Jason was exclaiming before swinging around to see who had just entered the room. Sonny sighed heavily.

"Lulu, we're discussing something really important here," he said as nicely as he could.

Lulu ignored him and looked directly at Jason. "Some men grabbed Spinelli. They beat him up, they knocked him out! What is going on?"

--

**A/N:** Well that was fun to write. I love me some drama. I've always wanted to be a film director, but lately writing this story I've been thinking more and more about being a soap writer. It's just so much fun! All movies come to an end, but soaps like GH just keep going and going and going…the party never stops.

**Next Chapter: Ever heard the expression "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? Well, some apples get adopted by pear ****trees in**** Tennessee. ****Kate gets a roommate. ****Reunited and it feels so good? Also, if you thought Zacchara was scary when he played the "nice guy" act I promise he's even scarier playing the villain. **


	9. Apples and Trees

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter Eight: Apples and Trees**

Anthony grinned as his men dragged in Damien. _What a strange name_, he thought to himself. _Wasn't that the name of the devil's child in _The Omen? How fitting. Trevor wasn't quite the Prince of Darkness, but he wasn't an angel either.

Anthony had been waiting at the warehouse for the men to return for some time now. He waved for the men to sit the kid on a crate. Mr. Spinelli didn't struggle much; it was obvious that he was disoriented. The men tied his hands behind his back. Anthony walked over to the groggy form and patted him on the head like a child. He _enjoyed_ mocking people. It must have been some sort of God-complex or something, but who has time for self awareness? The kid flinched at the touch and Zacchara knew he'd struck a nerve.

"Well, aren't you just _precious_?" Anthony pinched the cheek of his drowsy and confused captive hoping to further aggravate him. He knew he succeeded from the death glare the kid threw him. Anthony laughed.

"It's cute that Corinthos trusts a scrawny little kid, well, almost _baby_, to keep his business afloat."

"Go to hell, Lord Voldemort," Spinelli spat back.

"Oh, that's endearing. I love those books. Really magical. Speaks to the human condition."

_Okay_, Anthony thought to himself, _enough games_. It was time to put the fear of God into this kid. He felt around for the switchblade in his pocket. The sight of it made Spinelli's breath catch in his throat. Pausing for a moment to let the kid's mind wonder about all the possibilities that the knife's presence could mean, Anthony went around to his back and cut the ropes free that bound his wrists.

"See there, Spinelli, I don't want you bound like an animal." Zacchara breathed into his ear, reaching the arm holding the blade around to Spinelli's front where he pointed the tip into his neck. A moment passed and Anthony put the knife away. Spinelli occasionally twitched from nerves, but that was the only movement he made.

This was going to be too easy. Obviously this kid was not only a technical weapon but he was sensitive as well. It would be easy to break him. He would bend like reed in the wind under pressure, just like his mommy.

"Stand up." Zacchara ordered.

Damien didn't move. He didn't like that kind of resistance.

"I said," Anthony repeated, grabbing Spinelli by the hair hoisting him off the crate, pushing him into the wall, "Stand up."

Spinelli's face connected with the cold metal wall and he whimpered. He didn't struggle much, obviously aware that he wouldn't make it if he tried to run. Anthony could feel himself losing his cool. Little things like defiance _really got under his skin_. He had to take a deep breath and remind himself that while he wanted to scare the kid he couldn't lose control and snap his neck, yet. There was a plan; it needed to go in order. Break him down, get his information, and kill him in some horrible way, then dispose of the body where it would have an audience.

Patience was key. He wasn't a bloodthirsty man, just really, really aggravated.

He was just _itching_ to make his biggest move yet against Corinthos.

"You are going to die, Mr. Spinelli. I was going to be nice and assure you that your death would not be in vain, that you would be a valuable tool in my war, that you wouldn't be in pain very long…But I'm starting not to care," he hissed.

"You're not going to get me to talk--" Spinelli began but Zacchara just slammed his face against the wall again.

"Shut up, damn it shut up. You might put on the brave front and pretend that you aren't afraid for yourself. Whether or not that's true I couldn't give damn. The facts are that you can't stay silent. I have names, Mr. Spinelli, of people that count to you. Miss Leslie Lu Spencer, or how about Miss Georgie Jones? Pretty women, so young and trusting, no idea that they could have a bullet in their brains soon if their good buddy Damien doesn't cooperate."

"No—Leave them alone—God please."

Anthony spun Spinelli around looked directly in his eyes. The kid was scared out of his mind now, pale and watery eyed, his temple and brow bone red and swelling from the hits he took. Anthony knew he had won.

He released the kid and turned to the men who had dragged Spinelli in. The three stood and looked very apprehensive that his attention was on them now. They didn't see him on the brink of losing control very often. Snarky, sarcastic, mocking, yes, but never unstable.

"Make him nice and _pretty _then take him in to join Ms. Howard. I want her to have a pleasant reunion with the boy," he said plainly, adjusting his tie and jacket.

Walking away from the scene, he could hear the sounds of his guards carrying out his orders, the melody of Damien's cries of pain fading the farther he got away. They were slightly distracting to him and he was _really_ trying to regain his composure. Pulling out his iPod, he plugged in the earphones and started jamming out to Journey.

--

Kate took her heels off. She had been so nerve wracked the entire day that she hadn't even stopped to realize that he feet were killing her. Laughing a little, she wondered if she had enough clout in the fashion world to suggest that next season's must have item would be flats.

Her eyes scanned the tiny room Trevor and his men had brought her to. Completely empty. They'd obviously seen too many movies where the captive found some sort of weapon or secret way out that would help them escape. Had she been their longer than a day already? Or was is still the same day?

Kate sat in a corner closest to the door in the hopes that if she got the chance she could run. It was a silly thought, as if running would get her anywhere. Surely, there would be guards everywhere. Every time she considered a way to escape she remembered the threat Trevor had promised to keep to her…He'd kill their son. He'd do it in the blink of an eye because Trevor had finally gone over the ledge and was so power hungry there wasn't a conscience left in him.

Her son…Unless Trevor was lying, he was an orphan. The people she had entrusted her only child to had died. They had seemed so nice…Kate wondered if Trevor was right, if her son was lonely and screwed up. Did he know he was adopted? If he did, did he want to know her?

Did she want to know him? If she could find him, would she really want to? _Yes_, Kate realized. She wanted to know him. It was the moment when her life was on the line that she realized that she'd been worrying too long about what people thought about her…Most of the fashion industry was scandalous…Having a son no one ever knew about would be nothing in comparison.

Kate considered telling Sonny. He could get her in touch with the right people to find him. What would Sonny think of her? He already despised the thought of her ever fraternizing with Trevor. How ashamed would he be of her? Yes, he'd be angry for a momeny…_Sonny would understand though._

Yes, Kate would just have to be brave for once and ask for help. That is, if she got out of this whole thing alive.

The door was cracked open and a man came in backwards through the door dragging a form into the room. She gasped and moved over to the two but the man told her to stay back. When the door was closed finally she rushed over to the still form.

She'd had her suspicions about who the person was. T-shirt, weird striped shorts, messy brown hair…

It was the hacker Spinelli. He was roughed up pretty badly. She tried to assess the damage. A bloody lip, bruising on his face, especially his eyes and temple, were the first wounds she could see. Gently reaching out to push back the hair in his face, she was startled when his eyes flew open at the touch. Green blue met brown and Kate could tell he was completely confused for a moment, and then a panged expression took over.

"Shh…Mr. Spinelli, what did they do? Where does it hurt?"

"Just my face…and my…my back…They wanted to scare you I think…make me look bad…"

Kate couldn't have felt any worse. Trevor and Zacchara's men had done this to a kid just to scare her and make her realize they weren't playing. Spinelli was her son's age probably, it was a way to make her see that they would and could hurt an innocent kid. These mobsters and their messages…cowards, all of them.

Then it hit her…Spinelli was Sonny's tech guy. He would have information on just what went on behind the scenes of Sonny's organization. She felt for Spinelli, sure that they would do just about anything to make him spill all their secrets. He was just a kid, just a damned kid who was a little weird and didn't know how to dress. Zacchara was heartless. How could Trevor get involved with such filth?

"Calm down, Mr. Spinelli, It's going to be okay. We just need to give Sonny and Jason some time to find us. They know I'm missing right?"

Spinelli shook his head no. "I don't know, I don't know. Mr. Corinthos won't help me; he's going to kill me."

"What? Why would Sonny want to kill you?"

Kate shifted a little and pulled Spinelli's head in her lap. He was confused, that was all. Spinelli had taken a pretty bad beating to the head, he was just talking nonsense. She tried to work the hem of her dress in such a way that she could wipe up his face a little bit.

"He thinks I'm working for Ric and Trevor Lansing." Kate flinched a little at the name.

"Why on earth would he think that? You've been helping them like crazy, I know.'

Spinelli seemed to be about to pass out again. His eyes closed and his face slackened a little.

"I helped the D.A. before, Mr. Corinthos thinks I am again" Spinelli replied, his voice trailing off.

He could have a concussion, Kate realized. Tapping Spinelli's face gently she tried to keep him awake.

"No, no, no, you need to stay awake. You might have a concussion, you cannot go to sleep with a concussion…"

She tried to push him into a sitting position and he moved a little acting as though he was helping her. Finally in a sitting position, she edged him to the wall where he could be supported fully. His eyes opened again and he gingerly looked around the room.

Kate thought she should say something reassuring. "We just need to keep our cool, Spinelli, stay calm and cooperate. That is what's going to keep us alive."

Spinelli shook his head once more. "No…Zacchara said he was going to kill me…"

"You met Zacchara?"

Spinelli nodded.

Kate said a silent prayer that Anthony Zacchara was just trying to scare the kid. Suddenly, the door swung open again and two men entered along with Trevor. She stood up and had to restrain herself from beating him to death.

"You bastard. Look what they did to that poor kid!" She exclaimed.

Trevor did not say anything, instead he simply stood looking somber. She had never in her life described Trevor Lansing as somber. It was not like him to refrain from antagonizing people. That bothered her.

One of the men handed Trevor a taser. What were they going to do?

"What the hell, Trevor? What are you doing? Are you going to torture that poor kid some more just so you get to play the big dog?" Kate shouted.

Trevor took the taser and considered it for a moment. He then stared at Kate as if trying to come up with the right thing to say. After a moment, Trevor motioned for the men to pick up Spinelli, and that set Kate into a frenzy.

"No, oh my god, you aren't really going to torture him are you? How can you do this Trevor? He's just a kid!"

Trevor, looked her straight in the eyes and said, "I'm doing what is right for me."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Trevor Lansing pushed the taser into the chests of the two men who had accompanied him. Within moments, the two were one the ground, unconscious.

--

**A/N:** Yes! I am alive. I know I usually update more frequently than this but this chapter was really hard to write for some reason. Sorry if it seems forced or anything, I really lacked creativity. Plus, school is getting more complicated and stuff…So it's getting more and more difficult to find time to write. HOWEVER this does not mean I'm going to go and disappear off the face of the Earth like a lot of FF writers do. Hopefully this will be the longest I ever go between chapters.

On a side note, **SATURDAY is my 19th BIRTHDAY**! So, if you guys are really nice you would leave me some really badass reviews.

Another side note, I have this story plotted out to completion. If you want to know any secrets or have any questions about how the story is going, I encourage you to review and I'll either reply to the review or email you if you would prefer that. _I LOVE SPOILING THINGS_! So, if you are impatient like me and want to know the gritty details of where I'm going with this, do ask. It's really the highlight of my dad when people ask me questions.

Oh, and Trevor Lansing is a leopard who can't easily change his spots. Consider his motives for tasering Zacchara's men before you assume he's gone soft.

Much love to my reviewers, you guys are UHMAYZING!

**Next Chapter: Even Sonny makes mistakes, Kate learns the truth, and Spinelli finds himself between a rock and a…gun barrel.**


	10. Family Portrait

**The Worst Kind of Weapon **

**Chapter Nine: Family Portrait **

Sonny spent the next hour apologizing. To Jason, to Lulu, to his six year old self that knew what it was like to have Trevor Lansing for a father, even temporarily. Jason was out trying to find any clues as to what had happened to Spinelli. Sonny's tail had lost sight of Spinelli, and ironically enough the one person who had been able to use technology to find anything about anyone could not be helped the same way.

So, Sonny sat there, waiting to hear something. The look on Jason's face when Lulu had told them what happened on the docks was miserable to remember. Sonny couldn't understand how, but some way Spinelli had become Jason's family. Perhaps in some weird way Jason cared for Spinelli because he could not be with his own son, or perhaps they had simply bonded while living together. Whatever it was, Jason trusted that kid enough to tell him things that he didn't tell Sonny, including being Jake's father.

He'd reacted too quickly. Of course that kid had no idea about Trevor. Jason knew these things, he had great instincts. If Spinelli had convinced Jason that he was innocent, Sonny should have believed him. He took a shot of whiskey and followed it by another to calm his nerves. Pushing the papers on his desk around a little bit, Sonny was startled to see that he had forgotten to look at the file that Stan had produced. He had been judge and jury without even looking at the evidence.

Opening the file, Sonny began to scan read. Everything seemed relatively boring.

Then he felt as though the ceiling fell in on him.

_Mother's Maiden Name_, the file read, _Falconeri. _

--

Kate lunged for Spinelli who was quickly slipping to the floor once the men who had been supporting him fell to the ground. He was so close to passing out that he couldn't keep his eyes open, but she knew he was still awake when he encircled his arms around her neck and leaned on her for support. She held him tight around the waste, knocked a little off balance but holding her composure. Remembering that Trevor was in the room and had just taken out the two men sent to help him torture Spinelli, she focused her anger on him.

He stood there, surveying the men he had just zapped into unconsciousness. Realizing that Kate was staring at him, he opened his mouth to speak but she interrupted him.

"What did you do that for, Trevor? What is going on?" she demanded.

Trevor had a strange look on his face as he eyed Kate supporting Spinelli. It might have been concern, and that was a laughable thought. She didn't know what his angle was for helping them but she wasn't about to trust him ever again. To think that she had ever, ever, ever loved him…it was astounding. She was a fool and he was a puppet master. They were a perfect combination. Spinelli's heartbeat was slow against her chest, and this realization drug her from her angered train of thoughts.

Trevor motioned as if he were going to help her hold the boy up, but she flinched and he hesitated. Pulling out a handkerchief, he dabbed his forehead and looked as his watch. Kate didn't like that at all. Checking the time meant keeping on a schedule, and schedules meant plans. She didn't want any part of them.

"He's probably concussed. They shouldn't have given him that sedative, that's going to make this a lot harder," Trevor said to himself more than to Kate. Kate was shocked and tried to move Spinelli so that she could see his face. This proved impossible considering her considerably small stature, but the thought that the kid had been medicated scared her. This whole thing was insane.

"What exactly was the point of that Trevor? Beat the kid up and sedate him as well? Isn't that a little overkill?"

Trevor shook his head. "He fought back a little too much and the boys got frustrated. Try to stand him up, we've got to get him to be mildly functional." He moved towards the two of them but Kate wouldn't allow him near her.

"Your aren't coming near us. What exactly is going on? I thought you were hell bent on taking down Sonny and now you're going against orders?"

Trevor ignored her hostility and pulled Spinelli out of her arms. The Spinelli wobbled on his feet but opened his eyes for the first time in several minutes. Trevor made him stand on his own but kept an arm's length away in case the kid fell over again, which looked quite possible. Drowsiness was overtaken by a look of fearful recognition as Spinelli gazed at the man who had stood him up.

"You? Why?" Spinelli mumbled, his words barely able to form.

Trevor ignored the inquiry and took out his gun again. Pointing it at Kate and Spinelli threateningly, he motioned toward the door with his head. She couldn't believe this. One moment he was saving them, the next Trevor was directing a pistol in their general direction.

"We're leaving. Get your shoes on."

Kate could not decide which was worse. Being held captive by Zacchara or being ushered around by Trevor. The look on his face told her there was no room for negotiation. She took Spinelli by the hand and slowly led him out the door, pausing every now and then so that he could steady himself. Trevor followed them out the door.

Kate expected a goon to jump out at them from around every corner, but nothing like that happened. Trevor had obviously planned the entire escape thoroughly. Kate's heart felt as though it were trying to escape her chest. Trevor had _plans_! Plans…God what was going to happen to her?

Trevor had a suburban waiting for the three of them outside of the warehouse. Kate tried to look around and see some sort of landmark, but Trevor just opened the passenger door and forced her roughly inside before she could really inquire as to where they were. In this new light she noticed red on her hands, Spinelli's blood. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she twisted around just in time to see Spinelli lying down in the backseat. His eyes were glassy but at least he was awake.

As Trevor opened the driver's door, Kate tried to be reassuring.

"It's going to be okay, Mr. Spinelli, just try and stay awake," Kate said, shocked about her ability to sound as motherly as she did. She would have been a mother…she should have.

Spinelli nodded weakly. "The Jackal will try to, Countess of Couture." He smiled a little and Kate couldn't believe his resilience in such a time.

Trevor started the engine of the vehicle and sped off. Kate didn't know where they were going and knew it was useless to ask. The drove in silence, Kate trying to spot something familiar about the landscape but she didn't have a clue as to where they were. She hadn't lived in Port Charles very long and wasn't even sure how far away from the city they had been.

"What have you done, Trevor? Why all of a sudden do you care?" Kate said in a voice barely above a whisper. She hadn't meant to say it, but it just sort of blurted out.

Trevor laughed a little. "I don't care, Kate, about anyone but me. Anthony Zacchara used me to get to Corinthos, and I foolishly believed he thought me his right hand man. I was wrong. He took the first instance he got to put me in my place. No one will have that kind of power over me. If it means throwing Corinthos a bone to keep my dignity I'll do that. I won't have Zacchara treat me like one of his lower minions."

Kate didn't really know what to say to all of this. Stupidly, she replied, "How did he put you in your place, Trevor? What does he have on you?"

"He knows everything, Kate. He is willing to exterminate anyone whose death might help him. It's only a matter of time before he disposes of me like he wanted to dispose of you and that kid." Trevor said all of this with a great deal of betrayal in his voice. Kate was disgusted that he seemed more upset about being treated like a lackey by Zacchara and couldn't care less that the man had wanted to kill her.

"So you are trying to tell me that the only reason you are helping us is because it is going to hurt Zacchara?"

Trevor didn't answer.

"Why was he so keen on killing Spinelli? I understand why he would kill me, I'm…friends…with Sonny….But that kid is just a tech nerd." Kate peaked around into the back seat and was startled when she realized that Spinelli was asleep.

"Oh, god, he's passed out." Kate said, trying to reach a hand back to tap the boy on the face. Before she could, Trevor answered her question and she was distracted by the tone of his voice. It was distant, deep in thought.

"Zacchara would get to send a really big message to not only Sonny but to me as well."

"What message?" Kate asked, her arm still stretching to reach Spinelli's face, the tips of her fingers grazing his messy hair.

Trevor took a deep breath. "That he was would kill anyone."

"Well that's obvious; you're dodging the question Trevor."

His grip on the wheel tightened. "You're right I'm dodging the question, Kate, it's too fun to watch you squirm." His reply echoed the anger that he had directed at her from the night at the docks. She had touched on something that was really grinding on Trevor's nerves. Kate, however, was done with his games.

"Stop it, Trevor, and just say what you're just dying to say!"

Trevor smiled widely. "That's our boy back there, Kate. That's Connie Falconeri's son."

--

**A/N:** I'm so sorry folks. This chapter was short and it took forever for me to write. I'm just getting swamped at school and this chapter was really hard to write for some reason.

So, here's the lowdown. I have a test in algebra next Monday and a paper due in English next Tuesday. I cannot write for the next week. I'm SO sorry but I have to focus on my studies and I swear to you that the next chapter will be amazing. We are finally to the point I've been planning from the start, so it should be relatively easy to write. If you guys can be patient I swear I'll try my hardest to give you the greatest chapter yet.

Please review folks, it helps me write when I hear from the people that I'm writing for. If you want story spoilers or have suggestions, do review.

Go read **_Metamorphosis_ by Average Everyday Sane Psycho**. It's another Kate is Spin's mom story but with a whole new twist! I love it, you should too.

Like I said earlier, Please be patient. I'd rather be writing fanfiction any day over doing college work but sadly fanfiction isn't going to get me a degree! I'll see you next week! Pinky swear.

**Next Chapter: Kate reaction. **


	11. Attack, Panic

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 10: Attack, Panic**

Trevor started to chuckle a little. The swiftly looming night was washing over the vehicle, light being provided randomly by passing cars, but Trevor's eyes seemed to glow on their own. They were laughing, but they were a little sad as well.

"Young Damien is not as posh as us, is he?"

He ran a hand through his hair looking lost in thought for a moment, and then seemed to remember that Kate was in the car. Glancing at her, he saw the shock on her face and decided to mock her further.

"I'm not lying, Kate. That's your big bad secret passed out in my suburban getting blood all over the seats."

Kate had been frozen by his revelation. Her arm was still outstretched into the backseat trying to tap Spinelli on the face to awaken him, her fingers just barely connecting with his clammy cheek. Her hand jerked away from his skin the second her mind registered the touch. She twisted in her seat, almost turning all the way around, her eyes straining in the darkness to see his face. The pulsing lights of the traffic dulled in the backseat, and she could barely make out his features.

_Him_? That was him. When did he grow up? No. Her son was 6 pounds, very small. He nearly died, they'd told her so. An 18 wheeler drove by the suburban, illuminating the entire vehicle. For a moment, she saw his face clearly. Yes…that was him. He _looked_ like her. Something was stinging her eyes. _Oh_, Kate thought to herself, _I'm crying_.

"How?" Kate managed to ask, unable where she got the strength to do so.

Trevor was just a voice in the night. "Zacchara found out I about him…realized he worked for Sonny."

_Sonny_…

Kate felt adrenaline surge within her. She acted without giving it a second thought. Ripping off one of the two hundred dollar shoes she was wearing, Kate struck Trevor in the side of the head with the pointed heel. Trevor cried out in pain, swerving on the road. Kate took the rough ride and kept herself steady long enough to strike him once more, forcing Trevor to pull over the vehicle to nurse his wounds.

As soon as the suburban came to a stop, Trevor so lost in his own pain that he couldn't stop her, Kate jumped out of the passenger seat out into the night. There was grass up to her ankles that tickled her bare legs, telling Kate that they were off in a rural area. Swinging the cabin door open, Kate began pulling on Spinelli's legs and tried to drag him out of the car.

Trevor wasn't going to do whatever he wanted anymore.

She was _not_ going to just sit there and be ordered around like a _good little mistress_.

She was _Kate Howard_, damn it.

The weight of Spinelli didn't seem so bad this time she was supporting him, pulling him feet first out of the seat and gently laying him on the ground beside the car. Trevor opened his door and began making his way around to them, one hand clutching the side of his head, blood trickling down it that shined in the moonlight. He seemed to be trying to get something out of his jacket pocket, and Kate threw herself on the ground on top of Spinelli to shield him.

"No! You are not going to hurt us, Trevor. I won't let you!"

Trevor ignored her, and instead of brandishing a weapon, he pulled out a cell phone. Dialing whatever number he was trying to took some skill one handed and with a head injury, and he got frustrated. He kicked some road gravel and dirt in her direction.

"You were never anything more than a hollow thing, Kate." He spat at her, and looked as if he wanted to say more but his call went through.

"Yes. Corinthos…I've got Katie and your hacker here on Route 9. You come and get them. I'm not responsible for them anymore. I'm getting out of this godforsaken war, you _let me_ leave."

Kate stared at him. He was just going to let them go? Or was he going to kill them and let Sonny find their bodies?

"Trevor…"

Trevor turned his back on her. "You never really pleased me."

Then, there were taillights fading into the distance, and the farther away they got the more they resembled a predator from the nightmares of children, red glowing eyes of the thing that goes bump in the night. Twenty years went driving down the road.

Kate sobbed, clawing at the ground, pulling up grass all around her from the roots. It was over.

It was over.

She sat there in silence staring down the road for at least another half an hour. Kate felt no sense of being. She barely registered her surroundings. It was like waking up in a coffin, except she felt no need to move or escape.

Kate felt Spinelli stir next to her. He was waking up. That was a good sign, she supposed, considering his head injuries. Readjusting herself on the ground to be a little more comfortable, Kate tried to tend to him. He hissed loudly, sucking in his breath sharply. She pet his hair for a moment, then thought better of it in chase she aggravated any of the wounds.

Spinelli's eyes flew open and he shot straight up.

"Dark. It's dark. Where am I? Sonny…he's killed me. I'm dead." Spinelli rambled, and Kate tried to hold him down. He acted as thought he wanted to stand, but she knew this would be too drastic for him to do.

"Who are you? What…what's going on? Please…please don't kill me."

Kate realized he was having trouble seeing. "Shhh…Spinelli…you're okay, its…Kate. Kate Howard."

Spinelli was huffing and puffing erratically. Her heart sank. He was having a panic attack. She was definitely his mother then…Kate had had plenty of those in her life, her worst being the moments after she had given up her son to the family that adopted him, when she'd actually managed to hurt herself.

He had a twisted mix of adrenaline, medication for sedation, and a few good hits to the head. He was in no shape for a panic attack. Spinelli kept motioning to stand, and she knew that would be the last thing he should be doing. He did however mange to sit up properly. She moved around to the back of him, wrapping her arms around his frame tightly, pulling him close. The last time they had been that close he was taking in his first moments of life.

"Breath, Spinelli, slowly. Hold your breath for a second if you can, you're going to hyperventilate." She said all of this while pressing a hand into his chest, not exactly sure if that was medically relevant but it seemed to help him focus. He brought his hands to his face and pressed them into his eyes, and Kate had a feeling that he was crying even though she couldn't see his face. His emotions must have been going haywire.

"My head hurts," he groaned between breaths.

"You got beat up pretty bad."

"Sonny's going to kill me." Spinelli muttered pathetically, his body jerking quickly from a sob.

Kate's heart broke. "He will do nothing of the sort. Why are you so sure of this?"

Spinelli paused and his breathing seemed to be a little better. "Trevor Lansing."

Kate blinked a few times, her eyes starting to water at the name, though she couldn't exactly explain why. It wasn't anger, sadness, or joy. The tears just seemed to need to fall. Her bottom lip quivered a little bit and Kate's voice seemed on the edge of breaking.

"What about Trevor?"

Spinelli's answer stumbled from his lips. "He's my father."

Kate tensed. Spinelli must not have noticed because he continued speaking. What else did he know? Did he know about her?

"I found these adoption papers that linked me to him. He's my dad. That's why Mr. Corinthos, Sir wants me dead, he thinks I was helping my 'father' but I swear I didn't know until a few days ago." Spinelli was whispering this very quickly and Kate had trouble keeping up, but she was able to comprehend that he didn't know about her.

"What about your mother?" She asked, kicking herself that her tone wasn't as innocent as she wanted it to sound.

"She was barely older than Lulu! That's horrible…it's all horrible."

"Did you learn her name?" Kate asked, just as she saw headlights heading down the highway towards them. Getting up quickly, but gently so as not to rock Spinelli to much more, Kate went and stood by the road waving, praying that the person would see her and not run her over. To her luck, the vehicle started slowing down, eventually pulling over onto the shoulder of the road illuminating everything with its headlights.

As the driver and passenger door opened, Sonny and Jason Morgan stepped out of the car. Her stomach did flip flops. They'd come for her. This nightmare was over. Sonny ran to her and grabbed her close, then tried to get a better look at her.

"You're bleeding." He stated, pointing to the red stains on her dress. "What did that bastard do to you?"

She shook her head and turned back to Spinelli, who was already being attended to by Jason.

"It's his blood. Zacchara's men…they tried to get him to talk…it was horrible Sonny." Her voice finally broke and she cried, falling into Sonny's arms. For the first time in a long time she allowed herself some vulnerability and threw caution to the wind, not caring who saw her break down.

"Spinelli? Wake up, buddy…"Jason kept repeating from behind her. Kate pushed Sonny off of her and turned back to the boy. Spinelli had passed out again it seemed. In the bright light of the vehicle's brights she could see clearly how bad he looked. Both of his eyes were blackened and his lip was swollen. Several gashes were on both cheeks. She couldn't see the back of his head but knew he must have had some sort of concussion. To make her feel even worse, Kate remembered Spinelli had complained about his back earlier and she wondered if he had any internal problems. Jason looked up at her questioningly.

"He was awake a few minutes ago. We…talked," she said plainly. Jason lifted Spinelli off of the ground and hurried back to the vehicle, Sonny ushering her to get in the car.

"Let's go."

--

Jason was flying down the highway, driving at least ninety miles per hours. Spinelli's head rested in her lap, the two of them cramped in the backseat. She stroked his head gently. Sonny was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, Kate."

Kate was confused. "Why? It's not your fault Trevor is a psycho."

Sonny sighed. "You wouldn't have been a target if you didn't know me."

She laughed a little. "Yes, I would have."

"What do you mean?"

"Spinelli, when he was awake, kept saying that you would kill him. He said it was because you found out that Trevor was his father." Kate said this, staring down into her son's face, analyzing every twist and curve in its structure.

Jason glanced at Sonny quickly and Kate caught the movement.

"He told you as well, didn't he."

Jason cleared his throat, uncomfortably. "We found out together."

Kate accepted this. "So, Sonny, there you go. I would always be a threat as long as my son was working for you."

She thought they would explode or ask questions, but they did not. Sonny and Jason must have already known what she told them to be true. They sat in silence for a long time, the glow of the city growing brighter as they approached.

--

**A/N:** The line "You never really pleased me" is a play off of the film _The Count of Monte Cristo_ in which What's-His-Face says to Mercedes "You pleased me some of the time," and she replied when he left the room "You never pleased me." HAH! I love that movie.

Anyways, I'm SO excited to be back! I've missed writing. My test and paper went very well, thank you to everyone who sent their luck to me in my time of academic need. You guys rule.

Now send me some love and write some amazing reviews! OH and go read **Metamorphosis** by _Average Everyday Sane Psycho_ for more Spinelli/Kate Family adventures.

**NEXT CHAPTER: A little of this…a little of that. Kate and Spinelli ****talk :D**


	12. Father, Son, Mother, Brother

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 11: ****Father, Son, Mother, Brother**

The drive to the Canadian border was dull.

Trevor contemplated what to do next. Eyeing the clock on the radio of the suburban, he realized it was much later than he originally thought. Surely Corinthos and Morgan had picked up Kate and the kid from where he dumped them by then. He felt a little disgraced by having simply left them there to go back to their happy lives. They would keep the paternity of their adorable young hacker a secret, he was sure.

Trevor wasn't quite sure why he felt so angry about Kate's lie. He wasn't exceptionally fatherly, always leaving Richard to be brought up by nannies. Trevor had _control_ over that situation though. Perhaps that was what got him, the fact that there was this person out there with _his_ genes that he never knew existed. Plus, it was clear that this kid was brilliant if _Sonny Corinthos_ paid him to be his own personal computer technician…If Trevor had been able to have a little influence over Damien's upbringing perhaps he would have had a wonderful weapon in his arsenal today.

Richard was a good project, but he ended up being overzealous and lost his composure easily. That was Adela's influence, Trevor was sure. She'd been overdramatic as well, leaving him and their son just because he wanted Sonny gone and out of their lives. Ric and Adela both loved too deeply and ended up making dumb mistakes. Kate, however, was a different flower. She was greedy, and they were great together. Ambitious to a fault, just like him. They're son would have been a _force_ upon the world.

Kate made sure that didn't happen though. From the information he had, their son grew up in an average home and with an eccentric personility, lacking any social grace and wasting his intelligence behind a computer screen. What a terrible misuse of perfect genes. And was all her fault.

Kate wouldn't lose her reputation, no one would pay.

Unless, of course, he interfered from afar.

Taking out his cell phone, he dialed the number of the one man he knew could make their situation more complicated. After ringing a few times, the man answered the call, sounding as thought he was half asleep.

"Hello?"

Trevor smiled to himself. "Richard…I have some bad news…your brother is in the hospital…You should probably make an appearance at GH. Love you, son. Goodnight!" Trevor snapped the cell phone closed and chuckled some more. He was positive that young Damien required medical attention and he knew how Ric would react to the thought of Sonny being in the hospital. Whether or not he loved Sonny as a brother wasn't the point…It was simply Richard's instinct to interact with him. When Ric discovered that Sonny wasn't the brother Trevor had been referring to, hilarity would ensue, he was sure of it.

It was a simple miscommunication. Trevor was sad he wouldn't get to see the fall out, but he was sure it would be fun for the whole family.

--

Jason rested his head against the glass window that looked into Spinelli's room. Seeing his young friend lying there under the harsh fluorescent lights was pathetic. The men who had beaten him up had one goal in mind: to send a message. They wanted him to look broken so as to either frighten Kate, their other hostage, or to show Jason just how bad his friend's last moments on Earth had been when they killed him and dumped his body.

Zacchara was a piece of work.

He turned back to the small sitting area outside the room. Kate and Sonny sat next to each other holding hands. Sonny looked lost in thought and Kate simply looked lost. Jason sat opposite of the two and just stared at Kate. How could she be this calm when her son was suffering from a concussion and could be comatose? Kate must have felt his eyes on her and she looked a little startled.

"What?"

Jason glared.

Kate straightened in her chair. "If you have something to say then just say it."

"Yeah, I do have something to say. How could you have given up your son?" Jason asked Kate not caring how hypocritical he may have sounded. He couldn't be with Jake because his work was dangerous, that was a different story altogether.

Kate bowed her head. Sonny gave Jason a death glance for agitating her. Jason shrugged. He didn't care what Sonny thought. Spinelli wouldn't have been in this mess if Sonny hadn't overreacted and gotten so emotional.

"I was nineteen years old, Jason…I wouldn't have been a good mother. At least, that's what I thought...I held him when he was born and almost changed my mind but it was too late…His parents were so excited to have him…If I could have done things differently I think I would have kept him."

"_You think? You think_ you would have kept him? I have had the _honor_ to get to know your son, and he is a truly good person. Spinelli was willing to walk into the Metrocourt, fully aware that there was a bomb inside, just to save a girl he had a _crush_ on. That is the kind of person he is...he has an amazing ability to care for people, to his fault at times, and you just _think _you would have kept him?" Jason wasn't raising his voice, speaking in an even tone, but he was intense to see and hear.

--

Ric Lansing hurried down the corridors of the hospital, glancing into rooms and down hallways for any sign of Sonny. He'd asked for information on where he could find Sonny Corinthos, and Epiphany, the head nurse, had pointed him in one direction. However, he was so confused that he wasn't sure if he was following her instructions at all. What had happened to Sonny? Did Zacchara strike already? His father had warned him that he should pick the proper side, that there was a mob war on the horizon about to be launched, but Ric hadn't thought anyone would strike this soon or this big.

He was just about to turn one corner when he heard Jason Morgan's voice. Pausing around the corner from where Jason was speaking, Ric decided to eavesdrop.

"You don't have any room to judge me, Jason! How good of a person do you think he would have been if Trevor had any say in his life?" Ric recognized the voice as Kate Howard's, but was completely confused about what she was talking about. What did his father have to do with anything? Ric held his breath and prayed that the duo didn't hear him. Where was Sonny? How could those two be fighting if Sonny was in the hospital?

Ric was shocked when the next voice he heard was not Jason's gruff reply but Sonny's voice instead.

"Jason, drop it. I know you care about that kid but you don't have any right to question what his mother thought was best for him. It's not going to change a thing and--"

Kate interrupted. "I want to know him now, Jason. You have no idea what it has been like trying to live my life and pretend that he never existed. It broke my heart…"

"You best be glad then that Spinelli doesn't have Ric's sense of revenge."

Upon hearing his name, Ric couldn't stand hiding out any longer. Finally deciding to reveal himself, Ric turned the corner to find Jason, Sonny and Kate sitting outside of a hospital room, all looking very tense. Kate was noticeably a mess, her silver and black dress splotched with red and she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"What the hell is going on?" Ric demanded, and the three looked instantly guilty. Jason stood up and immediately looked defensive. Sonny also stood and stepped in front of Jason. Sonny sighed heavily and fidgeted with his suit jacket.

"What are you doing her, Ric?" Sonny asked.

"My father called me twenty minutes ago and said that my brother was in the hospital."

Sonny shuffled his feet. "Well, as you can see, brother, I'm fine…Sorry for the false alarm."

Ric shook his head. "Nope, Sonny, you aren't going to dismiss me that easily. I've been listening in on your little conversation here and I want to know what is going on. Who's in the room?" Ric started to move towards the hospital room window to get a better look inside but Sonny blocked him further.

"Back off, Ric. This doesn't concern you."

Ric was about to reply when Kate interrupted. "I'll just tell him, Sonny, he'll find out eventually. Obviously Trevor intended it to happen anyway." She stood up, and for the first time Ric really noticed how small Kate was. He supposed that it was the fact that her ego seemed completely deflated.

"Can you give us a minute, please?" Kate asked softly.

"Kate-" Sonny objected.

"Sonny…let's just get this over with." Kate pleaded.

Sonny looked apprehensive and Jason started to object, but Kate ignored both of them and grabbed Ric by the arm, leading him over to the window. Sonny and Jason edged out of the room, Jason looking less than thrilled to be doing so. Looking in through the window, Ric was stunned to see a badly beaten form lying in a hospital bed. It took a moment for him to register who it was.

"Is that Spinelli?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Since when did this kid get the whole mob clan to surround his bedside?

Kate nodded. Ric grinned oddly. "So…is this some big joke or something?"

"Your father and Zacchara kidnapped him and I. Thugs beat him up pretty bad, gave him a concussion. Trevor backed out at the last minute and dumped us off on Route 9, Sonny and Jason found us and brought us here."

"Okay. So…why was I awakened from my sleep by my insane father telling me to get down here? Spinelli is hardly my problem." Kate ignored him and went inside Spinelli's hospital room. Ric assumed he was supposed to follow. However, he wasn't too keen on the vibe that was being sent out from Kate.

She was acting very strange. Kate froze at the end of Spinelli's bed. Her back was to him, but he saw her shake violently. Not a sound escaped her, but he was positive that she was crying. Reaching out a shaking hand, she touched the blanket that covered Spinelli's feet. As her fingertips grazed the white coverings, her knees buckled a little and she had to grab onto the edge of the bed frame to keep herself steady. Ric walked over to the other side of the bed to see her clearly.

Her concentration seemed to be focused on keeping herself upright. Knuckles white, she gripped that frame, holding on for dear life. Kate's gaze met him, and he stared her down, completely shocked to see this woman break down in front of him. It was not his business, none of it. He didn't know why he was there. Kate stood there, gazing into his eyes, tears falling.

Her voice was cracking when she spoke. "I was involved with your father a long time ago. I was really young…and I got pregnant."

Ric felt as though his jaw melted. His mouth hung open stupidly.

"I put him up for adoption…Trevor never knew…" Kate sputtered.

Ric didn't know what she was saying, knew exactly what she was saying.

"No."

Kate nodded yes. "Spinelli is my son, Ric. He's your little brother." Her bottom lip quivered and she buried her face in her hands.

Ric felt his body sitting heavily into the chair next to the bed. He was now eyelevel with the still figure in repose, his eyes searching for clue as to what the hell was going on. The world was ringing. A hand pushed back the hair out of the sleeping form's face, and he barely registered that it was his own. Even under the purple skin, Ric could see strange similarities between himself and this face.

What did this mean?

Suddenly, the face had eyes, and the eyes were staring at him. Kate gasped, breaking the trance Ric was in. She leaned in on Spinelli, gently tilting his face in her direction. Her eyes were searching his.

"Green eyes! My god, boy, where did you get those eyes?"

--

**A/N:** Okay, I apologize. I know I said that Kate and Spin were going to talk this chapter but this idea with Ric just came to me and I had to make room for it.

Thanks to: Average Everyday Sane Psycho, BohemianGirl06, Cabouse-1 ,Charmedchick89, Future Mrs Morgan, IlovetowriteSMP, JENNY is RAD, Lady Augustana, LuckyDuck29, PH2W, RedDragen, SonnyAngel, Tishannia, XxAnimeFelinexX, jessebelle, onesmartgoalie,penguino3782, scifigrl0, starlight-crazy **for putting this story on their alert list.**

Special super extra sweet thanks to all of my faithful reviewers who dedicate a moment of their day every time I update to respond to this fic. You guys rule at life.

_I need people to submit ideas for what Spinelli's nickname for Kate will be._ "Maternal One" is my only option at this point and I want to see if you guys can come up with anything more creative.

**NEXT CHAPTER: Still up in the air…expect ****good**** some good angst though. **


	13. The Dark Passenger

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 12: The Dark Passenger**

There was noise again, and light. He registered that he was seeing something, but had no idea what it was. Slowly, things came into focus. Everything seems yellow. There were hands on his face; a voice was speaking to him. The hands were cold and felt good on his aching skin. He tried to remember why his face hurt so badly. The cadenced of the voice was so sad. He felt the emotion even if he had no idea what it meant. It was female, but he couldn't place it automatically. She spoke with such intensity. His senses seemed to not be connecting with his brain.

Kate. It was Kate Howard, and she was talking to him. Why? She said "green" a lot. He wanted to ask her what she was talking about but his lips felt so heavy. She was saying so many strange things and his head was swimming.

Finding his voice, he asked, "Where…?"

"You're in the hospital, sweetheart, Jason and Sonny found us by the road. It's all okay now." Kate murmured this. She was being so nice, no one had ever called him 'sweetheart'. Why was she there, though? She was a mess and looked as though she could definitely use some rest. Her hair was completely messed up, her eyes were puffy from crying.

"Okay," was all he could think to say. He felt so numb. Completely and totally worn. That was when he noticed there was someone else in the room. Ric Lansing sat in the chair next to the bed and was white as a sheet. Spinelli had never seen Ric so solemn looking. He seemed as though someone had died. Staring into Ric's eyes, Spinelli recalled that this man was his brother. Without a word exchanged between the two, Spinelli was sure that Ric knew this too.

Spinelli voice was cracked when he spoke. "Who told you?"

Ric blinked. Spinelli could see the deception forming in his eyes. "Told me what?"

"Don't lie…you know. You know Trevor is my father. Why else would you be here? Who told you?" Spinelli fidgeted with the pure white blankets on his bed, not able to look Ric in the eye. Kate shifted next to him. Ric opened his mouth to speak, glancing at Kate, but no sound came out. Spinelli had been right, then. Ric knew.

Spinelli felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He was blushing and he didn't know why. He was embarrassed, but it wasn't exactly in his control anymore. Ric had no answer, and Spinelli understood exactly how he was feeling. Standing up, Ric exited the room without a word. Spinelli wished he could do the same. Get up and walk out, leave the lies behind him.

Kate stood there looking down at him. Wait…she wasn't looking…she was gazing. Her eyes were taking him in, she looked so lost in thought. It was unnerving. He needed to distract her, to get those sad eyes off of him.

"What were you saying when I woke up? It was really fuzzy and I just remember you talking." Kate didn't answer right away, but walked slowly over to the chair and scooted close to his bed. As her feet hit the ground, he could tell she wasn't wearing any shoes. Something about her footsteps seemed to tell him this, and he noticed how weak she was for the first time. Her hands fidgeting in her lap. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Spinelli asked, suddenly very afraid. Kate was the only person in the room…where was Jason? Or Sonny? Has something happened after they were rescued? If anything had happened to anyone trying to help him Spinelli was sure he wouldn't be able to live with himself. All of this happened because of his snooping and inability to lie to Jason.

Kate paled. _Oh God_, Spinelli thought to himself, _Something__ did happen. Something was wrong._

"I'm going to tell you something, Spinelli, and I don't think you're going to be very happy about it."

Spinelli couldn't breathe. What was wrong? What could _Kate Howard_ possibly have to say to him?

She looked just about to speak, looking him straight in the eye. Whatever composure was needed to tell him what she had to was lost suddenly as Kate sputtered stupidly.

"Those eyes, I'm just so confused about your eyes."

"What?"

"They're green. I think Trevor's dad had green eyes, and that must have been where you got them. I met him once, he was pretty nice, had no idea I was still in college. Trevor resented him for his lack of ambition and liked to flaunt things in front of him…"Kate rambled, and Spinelli had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Ms. Howard?" Spinelli asked gently, sure that Kate was losing her mind or having a meltdown or something.

Kate scoffed. "Howard…hah…that's not even my name. I made that name up a long time ago."

Spinelli's eyebrows were raised and the sudden movement in his face hurt a little bit. He must have looked like hell.

"So is Kate Howard like your penname or something? And what were you saying about my eyes and Trevor's dad?"

"No…It had nothing to do with my job. I didn't like who I was anymore. I thought I could erase my past." Kate looked away from him. "This is really hard. I dated Trevor Lansing when I was in college…You have his father's eyes…"

Spinelli didn't really know what to say. "Wow…you were really young."

Kate looked at him again, dead in the eye. "Too young."

He felt as though something cold slipped into his stomach. There was a pause between them, a tension that seemed to be hanging in the air. That's what he had said about his mother all this time…that she was too young. He was pretty sure what she was about to say, but he was going to wait for her to say it.

"My real name is Connie Falconeri." She said this and waited, waited, waited for it to sink.

Spinelli, usually quite endowed with a zealous vocabulary, had nothing to say. He knew what she meant. He felt many things, all of them at the same time, and it overwhelmed him.

"Okay."

--

**A/N:** Wow I'm sorry. This makes me the meanest author ever for real. I don't update for almost two weeks and then I give you this ridiculously short chapter. I don't know what's up guys...I guess because were so close to the end and most of the secrets have been revealed I've just kind of found myself lacking inspiration. I'm sorry.

The title of the chapter is a reference to a rather cool TV show/Book series that is essentially about feeling numb in the world and not knowing how to react to things…guess what the reference is and you get a cookie.

**NEXT CHAPTER: Hopefully not as big a letdown as this. Closer to closure.**


	14. AUTHOR NOTE

Hello All...

I felt that I needed to explain where the heck I've been...I did not want you guys to think that I have fallen off the face of the planet. So this is my assurance to you that I am still working on this story.

My dorm is 7 hours away from home, and over the past few weeks I have been traveling back and forth because of my grandmother's death. This has not allowed for any personal time to just sit back and write. Whenever I do seem to have some spare time, it is always taken away from me again because of some new paper I have to write for class.

It's really hard to find any joy in writing these days. The essays that I'm forced to write as a freshman do not inspire and really take away the fun of writing. So, I guess what I am trying to say is that I would rather write a good chapter in a good/inspired mood than a poor chapter quickly just to get a new one out.

I do however plan to meet a goal...Once I am back home from the holidays I will update this story. That's my GOAL...don't hold me to it. So much random stuff comes up that it is really hard to truly hold to anything anymore.

Also, I have a few paragraphs already written of the new chapter, and I have the story roughly planned out to completion. There should be 2-4 chapters left in the story depending on how it plays out.

I hope you understand. I've read fanfiction for too long to do to my readers what has been done to me in the past...authors that disappear in the midst of a story are the saddest and most depressing occurances in fanfiction.

You guys are the best readers and I thank you for your patience.

--Seeker


	15. What the Light is Hiding

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 13: What the Light is Hiding**

"Spinelli, I'm so sorry, if you could only believe me when I say that I mourned you...it's haunted me and --" Kate stuttered.

"Okay." Spinelli repeated. Kate stopped her rambling, looking insanely into the eyes of her son, desperate for some sort of connection, willing him to have a real understanding of her pain. He was completely blank. There was no comfort for her to be found, though. Spinelli simply gazed from his blackened eyes up into the ceiling, as if he were merely counting the tiles.

Kate could understand if he raged against her, cried, threw something, showed utter disbelief...But this...This complete non-reaction bothered her. She slowly sat on the edge of his bed and clasped his hand, which was cold in her's. He did react to this, but it was to simply turn away from her. Her eyes were filling with tears, but Kate was desperate not to cry. Spinelli didn't care about her pain, she was sure. This was his moment to hate and dispair, not her's.

She just wished he would look at her.

"I was content not knowing." He murmured, so softly Kate had to lean in to hear him. She was tempted to ask him to repeat himself, but she was afraid this simple question would distract him from his confessional.

"If I didn't know who you were, I could let my mind wander...pretend that my mother was selfish and cruel and that would explain why she didn't want me. But, if my mother is a perfectly nice, wealthy, powerful woman...nothing in the world stopping her from raising a kid...nothing stopping me from being wanted...how to does that explain the situation I find myself in?" Spinelli's voice was steadily gaining strength, and Kate couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Every word brought another word that pained her more than the last.

"I'm so sorry, so so sorry," was all she could mutter. He didn't let up though.

"I mean, you just don't get it. No one's _ever_ wanted me. And it all began _with you_."

The hair on the back on Kate's neck stood at attention. "I can explain."

Spinelli grit his teeth, and the tone the next thing he said shook Kate to her core. It was the sound of absolute hate bred from years of resentment. She had never heard anyone speak with such contempt.

"Then do it...Explain it to me, because right now I wish you'd left me to die."

Spinelli was always so light...No, he _was _light. Spinelli made everyone smile, he was so unique. He glowed so bright that everyone he knew was affected. It made Kate sick to think that perhaps her son only glimmered in his special way because he couldn't keep any light on the inside, there were too many holes where the strobes could escape. How deep did his darkness go?

So Kate rambled, hoping that something would matter. She told the story of a stupid college waitress who was seduced by a selfish idea of importance. Kate dissolved back into Connie fully for the first time in years, letting the familiar skin stretch back over her bones. Connie told her son about the tiny form that she had held years ago and felt unworthy of. She muttered about the men who had started to haunt the hallways outside her apartment, waiting for Trevor to show up, men whose footsteps left a trail that could be followed all the way back to organized crime. Trevor himself, of course, was becoming off balance. She couldn't keep him, it wouldn't have been right.

"I'm sorry," she finished dumbly.

Spinelli shifted a little in his bed, turning to look at her in the eyes. Kate felt relieved, Connie felt at peace. Both would simply have to accept whatever Spinelli was willing to offer up as a reaction to all of this. There was nothing more to explain, nothing more that could be done. She had to move on in her life, that was certain. If her son wanted nothing to do with her or could never forgive her, she would have to find a way to live with that. I couldn't be worse than living with him haunting her all of her life.

No, that was a lie. Having Damien hate her could be worse. She didn't want that at all. From what she knew of him, Spinelli was special in a million different ways. To be able to claim him as her own would be an honor. Kate wanted to be able to decode his strange vocabulary, to help him find some proper clothes that fit, to ask him how his day was and have him answer. It was strange, how easy it was to hide a hole in your heart for years, to fill it with sand and pretend that you'll never sink into it. Now she was sinking fast and Kate was desperate for a rope to be tossed her way to safety.

Perhaps Spinelli knew how important he already was to her. Just as the sand was up to her nose, Kate felt the rope within her grasp.

"It's okay," he said softly, squeezing her hand. "Really."

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but a nurse entered the room looking rather shocked.

"It's too late for you to be her, ma'am. You really have to leave now. Mr. Spinelli needs rest," the nurse stated plainly.

Kate looked back at Spinelli aprehensively. They had been close to making a connection, and she was afraid that this interuption would keep them from really getting everything out onto the table. This wasn't exactly one of those things you wanted to put off until morning. However, Spinelli squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Go on. It's been a crazy wild night. You have to be at the highest level of exhaustion being held captive in the dark tower for days." Spinelli finished, putting Kate's torment into his own jackal terms. Captive in a tower was right. Except, Kate's captivity had nothing to do with what Trevor and Zacchara had put her through. No, Kate had been locked in a tower of what-ifs for twenty years, and strangely enough the lock that kept her bound was also a key to her escape.

Kate stood slowly from her son's bed, hoping he could read how thankful she was from her eyes. He smiled a little as she backed out of the room.

"We'll talk tomorrow then?" he asked.

Kate froze in the doorway. "I would really like that."

Spinelli gave a small wave and Kate exited the room.

--

**A/N**: I apologize for how long it took for me to get this chapter out, but even though it is short I think it's one of my favorites. Reviews are always adored.

CONTEST: I need some ideas of what Kate's nickname will be. Best one will be revealed in the next chapter! Winner gets a cookie.

**NEXT CHAPTER: A few things need to be discussed, like what Spinelli will be calling his new mom.**


	16. Glad to Know You

**The Worst Kind of Weapon**

**Chapter 14: Glad to Know You**

**_Six Months Later_**

"Kate?"

A smile was on her face before she even turned around to match the voice to its owner. Kate looked up from the newspaper at Damian standing in the doorway of her living room, toeing the ground. He was grinning big, holding a bag of Kelly's take out in his hands.

"Lunch?" Damian waved the bag temptingly. Kate rolled her eyes. She wouldn't be able to fit into the sample clothes that designers kept sending her if her son didn't stop bringing food every time he visited her.

She adored him.

People didn't really ask about their relationship after the initial shock wore off that Spinelli, quirky hacker, and Kate Howard, professionally stylish, were related. Sonny apologized profusely for putting her son in danger, Trevor hadn't been seen, and Anthony Zacchara started dealing directly with Jason and Sonny, keeping the families out of the mix for the time being. She worried about when the other shoe would drop, when Trevor would show up again, or when Damian decided to give her the cold shoulder for twenty years of abandonment.

Instead, he brought her lunch.

She waved him over to the couch, pushing the newspaper aside and praying to the couch gods that she didn't spill any soup on her new upholstery. For some reason she didn't care about those things as much, though, when her ghost was around. He had to be a ghost, right? This sort of thing never worked out so perfectly. She pondered to Sonny one evening why she should be so lucky, to be able to get a second chance. Sonny had looked at her quietly and answered simply. _Because you deserve it_, he had said.

She'd been doubtful. She definitely didn't deserve it. The choice she had made years ago should've been final, for most it would be. After a while Kate decided she should stop questioning the whys and hows of things and just accept that her blue eye baby was now a green eyed man and standing right in front of her.

It had been strange, the first few days. Odd questions were in her mind that she hadn't ever thought of before. What do you call your son? The same thing everyone else calls him? Spinelli, the last name of his adopted parents? Or do you call him Damian, his legal name that you didn't give him? Or do you call him The Jackal? Kate laughed to herself. He would like that last option very much.



At first it had been small talk. The weather. Jason. What they remembered from the captivity under Anthony. What hacking really was. How to tell the difference between a knockoff Prada bag and the real deal. How she liked her job. How he liked his. Lulu. Sonny.

Then came the inevitable conversation that Kate had been dreading. Spinelli had asked her to explain it all to her again, and this time he asked questions. _What was his father like behind the scenes?_ Kate told him that Trevor was a hard case to figure out, that the man from her twenties wasn't the same as the man from his twenties. _Why did she think she wasn't able to take care of an infant? _Oh, Spinelli, because I was so selfish. Yes, I was. I am. _Did she want to be his mother? _Very much so. She never knew how much until then.

Kate thought that they would have a hard time getting past the facts, but Spinelli didn't give her a hard time or pressure her. It stunned her when Kate realized Spinelli was almost asking for permission to get to know her better, as if she could turn him away at this point.

It stunned her even more to realize that in a matter of weeks she was worrying about him, had his phone number in her call log, scanned a room for his presence.

But the most shocking thing was the day he called her "mom".

It was two months ago. There was a party at the newly reopened Haunted Star. She spotted him with a few of his friends across the room, dressed in a suit and looking very well put together. Her inner fashionista smiled at the fact that Spinelli was looking more and more like her son than ever. Not just clothing wise, but his features started standing out to her. It was strange, seeing yourself in someone else.

She had waved him over and he had grinned at her as he hastily trudged over. His posture was atrocious.

"Good evening," Spinelli said to her, doing a silly bow. "How is the fair Vogue one this evening?"

"Well, aren't you formal?"

Spinelli rolled his eyes. "Formal attire, formal attitude," he explained, waving a hand over his outfit.

Kate winked at him. "It's very nice."

He beamed. "The Jackal tries his hardest these days to put in the extra effort in making sure his attire is up to par with style trends."

"You're doing very well. You look very GQ. I could probably put in a call to their editor if you wanted to change from hacking to modeling."

Spinelli shook his head, blushing. "Hah. Let's not go that far."



Kate reached out absentmindedly and pushed some of his hair out of his face. There was this one chunk of hair that just didn't want to sit properly on his head. He blinked and twisted away from her, shaking his hair a little.

"Okay, Mom, stop," Spinelli groaned, pushing his bangs back the way he wanted them. He seemed completely unaware of the fact that he had rendered him speechless. Mom. Not Kate, or Vogue One, or Fashionista. He had called her Mom, without any uncertainty, without even realizing he had done it.

Sometimes she was Kate, sometimes she was Mom. He traded them in and out of his speech these days without a single second's hesitation. And he stopped being Spinelli to her altogether, but Damian.

The scandal that ignited once the press found out about him was brief but ferocious. Port Charles became home to some nasty paparazzi for a few weeks, dragging her name through the mud and making odd comments about Spinelli. A rival magazine put him in a "worst dressed" category out of spite to her one issue. But after the ordeal they had been through, such petty gossip was trivial. It was, however, very annoying. Just in time, a socialite got busted for drugs and hauled off to jail, so the press found a new story to cover. Kate sent the girl flowers and hoped for her addiction recovery to be speedy.

So, after the press and people found out and the hooplah ended…It was just the two of them trying to figure out one another.

Having lunch.

Spinelli plopped his messenger bag down on the ground and curled on the couch next to her, passing her the food he brought.

"So, what are you doing today, Damian?"

He shrugged, taking a bite out of a sandwich. "Well, Stone Cold doesn't have anything for me to do right now so I thought I'd drop by and see you."

Kate smiled to herself. "You like that sort of flexibility, don't you?"

"Indeed I do. I get to be The Jackal and get paid for it. It is a nice setup."

"Sort of silent danger?"

He contemplated her words, taking a swig of orange soda. "Maybe."

They didn't discuss the dangers of the mob. It seemed redundant. They both knew the risks they were taking but neither exactly had to right to tell the other to what to do without sounding hypocritical.



"You be careful, now, Damian," was all she said. He understood. Damian was silent for a little while. She could tell something was wrong. Quiet and Spinelli didn't exactly go together.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

He shook himself out of his quiet. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Damian looked at her seriously. "This is all very strange isn't it? In what reality would this ever happen to someone? To us?"

Kate stole one of his chips. "You know, Damian…I ask myself that every day. You know what I decided?"

"What?"

"I'm just very glad to know you."

He stared at her for a second, then a small smile formed on the corner of his lips. It seemed as though Damian understood what she meant. There wasn't a proper explanation. That was how fate worked…instances and sequences of events all working in some mysterious fashion.

"I'm very glad to know you too, Kate."

She was Kate for that moment. In a few minutes she would be "Mom, I think I spilled soda on the rug" and in an hour she would be "Most Fashionable Maternal One, what do you think I should wear to the charity formal?" Later on it would be "Kate, where is your laptop? I'll fix your internet."

But there wasn't a moment that went by that he wouldn't be her heart. It had taken twenty years for her maternal instinct to take over, but when it did, it happened quickly. Yes, he was slowly becoming her heart. It was a different love from the kind she had known. Love for friends, love for Sonny, love for her job—it was strangely incomparable to the delight that seeing her son gave her.

His quirks, his obsession with orange soda, and the way he talked about his friend, Lulu. The gleam of mischief in his eyes when she knew he was hacking into something he shouldn't be. The way he forgave her…Six months down and a whole lifetime to go. They had twenty years to make up for, but it had taken very little time for him to fill that chasm in her heart that she pretended wasn't there.

And her heart was the worst kind of weapon.

"Oops," Damian muttered, his eyes growing wide.

Kate jumped out of her thoughts. "What is it?"

"Mom," he began, getting up quickly to dash into her kitchen. "I think I spilled soda on the rug!"

She glanced at the ground, and sure enough, there was a large orange puddle forming on the white carpet. Kate sunk into the couch, laughing a little to herself. He would probably be apologizing profusely for the next hour, as if he had anything to apologize for.

Damian darted back into the room with a towel and began blotting up the soda, sighing to himself.

"Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it darling, I'm sure you'll get it all up. And, you know, I think orange is going to be big in the Fall anyways…Always good to be up with the times."

Kate's ghost glanced up at her quickly, grinning sheepishly as a blush rose to his cheeks.

"Are you saying The Jackal is a trendsetter?" The mirth sparkled in his eyes.

For years, a newborn's eyes had haunted her dreams, because she never knew what color they would turn out to be.

Turns out, they were green.

……

**A/N: Thank you all for reading this story. It is the first fic that I have completed since my original fanfiction days back when I was 14. It means a great deal to me that you all read it and I hope you review for this, the very last chapter. I bet most of you didn't think I would ever finish it. I didn't think that I would, either. Miracles happen, I suppose. Hahaha.**

**The Luckiest is still a work in progress that I will be dedicating all my time to from now on. **

**I hope you enjoyed this story. I hope the ending was adequate enough, I never feel as though they really are. Perhaps you can ponder what happens next. If you think a sequel is in order, tell me. I'll consider it.**

**Please leave this fic a wonderful goodbye by reviewing! I would adore hearing from you as this story means a great deal to me.**

**As they say….THE END. **


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